Wednesday 1st. February 2012

I knew it was going to be cold , but , with the promise of sunshine and no wet stuff , I set off with one target species in mind , Crossbill . So I was off to Old Lodge Reserve , the Sussex Wildlife Trust site on Ashdown Forest , the home of Pooh Bear for those who read the books . As I was almost passing on the way , I made a stop at Bough Beech Reservoir , a Kent Wildlife Trust site on the way . Since my last visit , when the water level was very low , the Water Board must have been pumping non stop from the River Eden , which runs behind the dam at the far end of the reservoir , as the water level is well on the way to full . I stopped first at the orchard near the Visitor Centre , in the hope of finding my first Brambling of the year on the feeders , but although there were plenty of Chaffinches on and below the main feeder , no Brambling . As usual plenty of Tits , including one Marsh , were constantly arriving , together with Starling , Greenfinch and Goldfinch . It was good to

see several House Sparrows too , as Warren said the other day , they have been few and far between recently . A Nuthatch was calling in the area too , bit it seemed a lot more interested in the dead

Apple tree than the feeders . At least 6 female Pheasants were hoovering up below the seed feeder , but the main noise was coming from the orchard and the surrounding high trees , where probably

hundreds of Fieldfares and a few Mistle Thrushes , were feeding on the large number of fallen apples on the ground . With so many eyes ,the alarm call went up on a regular basis , and everyone headed for the tall trees . Fortunately , the odd bird , possibly intoxicated from the fermenting apples , didn't

respond to the call , and just sat , looking . These were the only birds that I could get anywhere near .
Quite a bit of the small North Lake was frozen over , and held very little apart from Teal , Moorhens and the odd Pheasant , disturbed by someone in Winkworth Wood trying to bring a dog that was totally out of control , under control . It reminded me of the dog owner in Richmond Park trying to stop his dog from chasing the Deer . The main Reservoir , being much deeper , just had a few areas around the edges frozen over . Something was happening down the right hand side of the reservoir , as all the waterfowl that had been dozing on the edge , moved out en masse onto the water . These

included at least 20 Mandarin Ducks , they are the lighter birds across the middle of the shot . There were lots more wildfowl further down the reservoir , but with choppy water and low Winter sun , it was difficult to make them out . Whereas the Fieldfares fed on the fallen Apples , it seems that the

Blackbirds prefer the ones still in the trees , as six birds were gorging on this tree . By the time I got back in the car , I was frozen , and as glad to warm up on the way to Old Lodge .
If I thought Bough Beech was cold , I definitely wasn't ready for stepping out of the car at the top of Ashdown Forest . A strong , bitter easterly was blowing across the site , making it almost impossible to hear anything . The tops of the Pine trees was my focus , looking for Crossbills , but , by the time I

had reached the end of the top path , the only bird that I had found was a Carrion Crow . albeit at the top of a Pine . Dropping down into the valley proved no better , with just a few Great Tit calls , and a fleeting glimpse of a pair of Reed Buntings in an area that I had hoped would produce Stonechat . On

the other side of the path I disturbed a Green Woodpecker on the ground , which flew to the nearest tree and tried to stay out of view .Over the little stream , and on the way up the other side of the valley , passing the dead tree on MoD land , where a Great Grey Shrike was seen a while back , but not today . Just before turning left at the

power lines at the top , I found a small group of Fallow Deer , grazing quietly , until one spotted me , and all disappeared from view into the woods . Along the power lines I met a couple who were doing the circuit in the opposite direction , and had seen absolutely nothing since they got out of the car . A few Chaffinches feeding under Beech with a mixed Tit flock and a Nuthatch calling from the Beech . I zig-zagged through the Pines back to the top path , but still no Crossbills , or much of anything else for that matter . Almost back at the car park , a fleeting glimpse of a male Bullfinch in flight and kept him in view till he landed . I made my way to the spot to find that there were four birds , 3 males and a female , as usual with the species , very flighty . I followed the birds at a distance , finding en route

a pair of Coal Tits feeding in a Pine and constantly calling to each other . After quite a chase , I managed to get close to two of the Bullfinches , who could well have paused for a break on the stock

proof fencing , one of the males and the female . Over the next few minutes , I managed to get

reasonably close to the birds and got portraits of a male and a female . But just before they

disappeared fro good , I managed to get one of each close together . By now I  was hungry and cold again , so drove to another car park where the GGShrike has been seen , and although warmed up , did not see it . After lunch I spent an hour and a half looking around two other sites it has favoured , but still nothing . And the Crossbills , they escaped me all day as well .