Yellow-Legged Gull. Mediterranean Gull. Ringed Plover, Black-Tailed Godwit. Lesser Spotted bleedin' Woodpecker. None of the above have been seen by me all year. They are all doing their very best to avoid me, and they are succeeding.
None of them are what you would call rare, although the little woodpecker is a bit of a scarcity in my part of Surrey. Most will pop in for a visit somewhere in the county, but never when I'm around.
Never mind. To lift the spirits I made a b-line for Chobham Common on Sunday to see if I could find one of my favourite birds - the Dartford Warbler. Now, this little fellow is pretty rare these days, but because its habitat requirements are quite specific and because I now know where to look and what to listen out for, this warbler never lets me down. And so it was on Sunday during a warm late afternoon in the sun. I got my best views of this smashing little bird. Two males were chattering away on their respective patches, and one was showing really nicely.
