I made a pilgrimage to Gloucestershire on 10 May in search of more westerly birds, and I was not disappointed.
First, I stopped off at Highnam Woods RSPB reserve in the hope of hearing nightingales. The car park was closed and the place was very quiet, and soon after I had started on the nature trail I heard a nightingale singing in the bushes. It was glorious.
Then I went on to RSPB Nagshead at Parkend in the Forest of Dean. I walked down, past a singing garden warbler, through dappled woodlands to the lower hide.
There I saw a male redstart in a willow tree by the pond, it seemed to have a nest down there.
In search of pied flycatchers I went up to the Campbell Hide on the side of the hill, named after Bruce Campbell. As the plaque on the hide says, he did his pioneering research on pied flycatchers here from 1948 to 1964, paving the way for the creation of the site as a nature reserve in 1973.
I was lucky, a male pied flycatcher landed on the nestbox on the right of the picture below.
Soon a whole band of bird watchers arrived and as the hide is small I left and went up to the top of the reserve to enjoy siskins on the heathy patch at the top. On my way back I saw a firecrest.
I returned to the hide later and although I did not see any more flycatchers, I heard them clearly and have recorded them here.
It was a day of green glades and heavenly birds.
CampaignerKate 