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My blog will predominantly feature a selection of photographs and reports of recent wildlife photographic trips, mainly in the UK

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Bittern, Fishers Green, January 2023

Thursley Common, 7th June 2023

6/10/2023

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It has been many years since I last visited Thursley Common in Surrey and I had forgotten what an amazing place it is. It is recovering well after the devastating fires of a few years ago and the new boardwalk was a great place to watch at least four Hobbies hunting.
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One of the birds favoured a dead tree to eat its prey in, or to just have a short rest.
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Capturing them against the trees was more difficult but very rewarding!
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Without doubt one of my favourite birds! The boardwalk was also very good for spotting dragonflies including Four-spotted Chasers.
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And a completely new species for me - Keeled Skimmer.
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After all this excitement there was a birding lull with not about apart from a Stonechat and brief views of a Dartford Warbler. It was hot but quite breezy which did not help with smaller birds perching up. However, a Tree Pipit was a welcome sight.
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Further round, Redstarts were calling and brief views of a couple of male birds were obtained but they were very flighty. A female allowed a couple of shots before she melted away.
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And a family of Stonechat's allowed some great close up shots. Firstly the male.
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And a juvenile.
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And in the same spot, a pair of Linnets.
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And almost back at the carpark when a rider and horse disturbed a group of five Woodlark which thankfully came back down to feed.
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There was one further surprise before leaving as someone said there were Downy Emerald Dragonflies on The Moat. I managed some flight shots as they never landed and subsequently discovered they were indeed Brilliant Emerald Dragonflies, another new species for me.
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But the day didn't end there! After a pub meal it was off to nearby Crookham Common to try for Nightjars. We did see more Woodlark and heard Tree Pipit while waiting and as dusk fell a few Nightjars started Churring. A short video below to show off that amazing sound with the bird resting on a branch.
I had no expectations of photographs but after ramping up the ISO I managed a couple of record shots.
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Truly amazing birds! The old English name is Goatsucker as at one time they were believed to suckle milk from Goats at night. Bonus birds also included a calling Tawny Owl and a roding Woodcock. It was then back to the car with bats flitting around and a late journey home after a great day out.
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