Dry but a bit breezy at ground level... severely gusty up the top, hence the short visit!
First up, along the roadside, a hornet. Seen 4 or 5 this year, only ever seen one previously
I think this is a Nuthatch, but not a great angle or pic
Funny how when you've never seen something before, you then often see two in a short space of time... Redpoll
Ohh, alright, it's more than likely another juvie Goldfinch!!
My thought's were, that despite it being breezy, it may cause any butterflies to stay closer to the ground, so more easily photographable.... that butterfly theory was blown out of the water, however. it seemed to hold true for this guy... he was disturbed by a chap walking his dog....
but just flew a little further round the rampart
He then flew on a bit further... the angle of the land is how steep it is all the way up... pretty good defences back in the day!!
I decided enough was enough, and left before the inevitable wind-blown ear-ache kicked in, and on the way back down I spotted a lady Stonechat
I'd spotted one meadow brown but autofocus managed to grab the grass in front of it, so I thought a butterfly free trip, when.... ta-daaaaa, along the track back to the car
I was surprised by how few birds there were on the berry laden shrubs/trees by where the stonechat had been, and also by how few butterflies there were (despite the breeze) but watching the swallows swooping about up the hill, and the presence of the kestrel made up for it.
And so that's probably concluded this weeks (mis)adventures, but who knows what the future holds!!
Stay safe All
Richard B
PimperneBloke said:I'm pretty gender fluid Richard lol... I'm just pleased I got the stonechat bit right, with my record!! Thanks :o)
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Jolly good jaunt up the hill PB!
Post edit...nice pics too
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
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Regards, Hazel
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Seeing the title of the thread did make me smile. Having been to Hambledon Hill myself i wouldn't really call it a jolly getting to the top.
I dug out this photo from google, it shows the "Hill" pretty well.
Lot to learn
Unknown said: i wouldn't really call it a jolly getting to the top
But on a clear day the views are worth every lung busting step!
Thanks all for your kind comments and ID's over the week, most appreciated