Tour Report 7 - 9 June 2019

The Forest of Dean

Naturetrek Tour Report 7 - 9 June 2019

Report by Marcus John

Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Tour Report The Forest of Dean

Tour participants: Marcus John (leader) with eight Naturetrek clients

Summary

The Forest of Dean is an ancient royal hunting forest where areas of oak woodland are interspersed with more conventional coniferous plantation. The rich history of this area is reflected in the mosaic of habitats that have been preserved within its historic boundaries. The great diversity of bird species includes several scarce breeders like Nightjar, Goshawk and Hawfinch. Mammals that reside within the forest include Wild Boar and Fallow Deer. We enjoyed a memorable weekend visiting key sites across the forest, with great views of a wide range of special birds and some other fascinating wildlife.

Day 1 Friday 7th June

We met together before dinner in a private room in the historic Speech House Hotel. Our leader, Marcus John, gave us an introduction to the natural history of the area, outlining our itinerary for the tour and the target species that we hoped to see. We then enjoyed the first of several excellent meals, which added to our enjoyment throughout the weekend. As we sat in the oak-paneled Verderer’s Courtroom, a huge thunderstorm blew in over the forest, thunder crashing and forked lightning flashing outside the high windows. Whilst this was very impressive, it did not help with our night drive, as the rain continued sporadically throughout. One road where we had hoped to look for Wild Boar was flooded! Given the conditions, it was no surprise that we saw no mammals. We stopped to listen for Nightjar but heard only a Woodcock as it flew around a clearing; in fact the only creatures of note were two Common Toads.

Day 2 Saturday 8th June

We rose early to head out for a gentle walk around the hotel, taking in the Cyril Burt Arboretum. We had good views of a range of commoner woodland birds, including several noisy Nuthatches and family parties of Great and Blue Tits, the youngsters constantly calling as they followed their parents through the low branches. One surprise was a pair of Grey Wagtails that were nesting in the roof of the hotel itself!

After a superb cooked breakfast we drove to Symond’s Yat, a famous viewpoint that lies on a precipitous rocky outcrop above a wide bend in the River Wye. The views across the surrounding countryside are magnificent but our main purpose was to find birds of prey. However, as we walked out to the main viewpoint, we could not help but get distracted by the abundance of tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers, which seemed to be calling from every tree! When we chatted to the RSPB volunteers, it quickly became apparent that this year, the Peregrine nest was inconveniently situated out of view. However, we soon spotted an adult male sitting sentinel in a tall tree, giving great views through the telescope. Better still, another bird soon appeared and swept along the river course in a dramatic hunting flight – breathtaking! Symond’s Yat offers unusual views of raptors as they fly at eye-level or even below the viewpoint; we enjoyed prolonged views of Common Buzzards and Ravens, as well as at least two Sparrowhawks. Even better, as the morning brightened, a Goshawk appeared above the woodland on the opposite bank.

Before lunch, we paid a short visit to Cannop Ponds, a lovely spot and a good place to add some new species to the trip list. Everyone enjoyed watching Little Grebes in summer plumage and the elegant Mandarin ducks that

The Forest of Dean Tour Report

breed here in good numbers; we were particularly taken with three ducklings that clambered onto a rock right in front of us!

After a light lunch, we went for a productive walk around Yew Tree Brake and Woorgreens Lake. We soon heard a Wood Warbler and patiently tracked it down to a shady area of more open woodland, where we watched enthralled as it continue to sing. Soon afterwards, we found a Willow Warbler for comparison. Near the lake, we had a good look at another typical bird of this forest, a Spotted Flycatcher, along with a couple of Blackcaps.

After another delicious dinner, we headed out to Crabtree Hill, in search of Nightjar and Woodcock. As we listened for the distinctive churring, we enjoyed good views of a small group of Fallow Deer as they moved quietly through the heathland. We heard at least three Nightjars and one flew up close to where we stood, briefly banking and showing the white wing patches and tail tips of a male. We had more brief views of this species but the local Woodcock was much more obliging; he flew right over our heads on three separate occasions!

Day 3 Sunday 9th June

The day dawned much brighter and with lighter winds than yesterday. Our pre-breakfast walk took us along part of the famous Sculpture Trail and we enjoyed more great views of a range of commoner woodland birds. Once again, we were inundated by families of Blue and Great Tits, but this time they were also joined by noisy Long- tailed Tits and a couple of colourful Jays. A bird-filled walk was the perfect way to build an appetite for the excellent cooked breakfast that awaited us back at the hotel.

Late morning saw us arrive at Nagshead RSPB reserve, arguably the best location in the whole forest. We walked along the short trail, where once again Nuthatches were much in evidence. We had good views of Treecreepers, Blackcaps and better views of a smart Spotted Flycatcher on the path down to the pond. As it was rather quiet by now, we headed off to the small stream that runs behind the Fountain Inn pub, to look for another target species. And sure enough, after a few minutes of patient searching, Trevor found our quarry – a lovely Dipper. We spent several minutes enjoying great views before heading back to our hotel for sandwiches and cold drinks on such a sunny day!

We spent the afternoon revisiting Crabtree Hill, where careful management by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is restoring a lowland heath habitat. It is grazed by a variety of livestock including traditional breeds of cattle and moorland ponies. As we walked into the reserve, we were surprised to see a small group of Bullfinches feeding on the path, a beautiful sight. A small plantation held a flock of Siskins and we heard Crossbills, though frustratingly we could not see them. All too soon it was time to return to the hotel, say our goodbyes and head home. It had been a successful weekend with a range of wildlife enjoyed in excellent company. The thunderstorms of the first night had given way to lovely sunshine and the Forest of Dean had provided some truly memorable moments.

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The Forest of Dean Tour Report

Species Lists

Birds (✓=recorded but not counted; H = heard only) June Common name Scientific name 7 8 9 1 Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus ✓ 2 Canada Goose Branta canadensis 25 3 Greylag Goose Anser anser 2 4 Mute Swan Cygnus olor 11 5 Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata 14 4 6 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos ✓ ✓ 7 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula 2 8 European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus 3 9 Common Swift Apus apus ✓ 10 Stock Dove Columba oenas 4 11 Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus ✓ ✓ 12 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus ✓ 13 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra ✓ 14 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 2 15 Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola H 1 16 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus ✓ 17 European Herring Gull Larus argentatus ✓ 18 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus ✓ 19 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 1 20 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 1 21 Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus 3 22 Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis 1 1 23 Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 3 24 Tawny Owl Strix aluco H 25 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major H H 26 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 2 27 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius 3 28 Eurasian Magpie Pica pica ✓ 29 Western Jackdaw Coloeus monedula ✓ ✓ 30 Carrion Crow Corvus corone ✓ 31 Northern Raven Corvus corax 6 32 Coal Tit Periparus ater 2 6 33 Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus 10+ 10+ 34 Great Tit Parus major 20+ 10+ 35 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica ✓ ✓ ✓ 36 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum ✓ ✓ ✓ 37 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus 10+ 38 Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix 1 39 Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus 1 40 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita 3 41 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 3 2 42 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin H H 43 Goldcrest Regulus regulus 5 1 44 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes 2 1 45 Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea 15+ 6 46 Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris 4 2 47 Common Blackbird Turdus merula ✓ ✓

The Forest of Dean Tour Report

June Common name Scientific name 7 8 9 48 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos 1 1 49 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus 2 3 50 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata 1 2 51 European Robin Erithacus rubecula 4 2 52 White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus 1 53 House Sparrow Passer domesticus 4 54 Dunnock Prunella modularis 1 55 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 2 2 56 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii 1 1 57 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs ✓ ✓ ✓ 58 Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula 4 59 European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris H 60 Common Linnet Linaria cannabina 4 61 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis ✓ 62 Eurasian Siskin Spinus spinus ✓

Mammals 1 Fallow Deer Dama dama 6 2 Muntjac Deer Muntiacus reevesi 1 3 Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis ✓ ✓ 4 Pipistrelle sp Pipstrellus sp ✓ 5 Brown Long-eared bat Plecotus auritus ✓

Amphibians 1 Common Toad Bufo bufo 2

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