Tuesday 7th February 2023 - Monkton Combe to Midford.

 

For this week’s walk we were joined by Roger who as children was our neighbor when we lived on Combe Down, and have only recently got back in touch with each other. Today’s walk took us from Monkton Combe to Midford through fields and back to Tucking Mill via a woodland footpath and then a road back to the starting point. We parked in a pull in at the bottom of Summer Lane just outside of Monkton Combe here we found Blackbird, Dunnock, Carron Crow and Magpie. From here we walked into the village to the Wheelwrights Arms where we turned into Mill Lane, here 2 Lesser Black Back Gulls were on a roof and a Robin was singing from a roadside bush. Jackdaws were flying over and in another garden were many House Sparrows along with Great and Blue Tits. At the bottom of the lane is a private drive with a wide lawn to the left and here I spotted a Green Woodpecker on the frost covered grass it must have been my day for spotting them as later in the morning approaching Tucking Mill I found another rooting around on the ground. 

Green Woodpecker - Bath Birdwatcher

As we watched the woodpecker Bryan spotted a Fox in the misty background.

Fox - Monkton Combe

Walking by Midford Brook we came across a few Mallards but nothing else new was seen until we reached Midford Lane and here Bryan noted a male Pheasant and over the tops of houses in the distance was a Rookery with a few Rooks in the tree tops walking through Midford the mist was now lifting, Herring Gull and Wood Pigeons were seen flying over. Here we joined a woodland walk which runs parallel to Tucking Mill Lane and more bird species were seen a few we had already seen but new for the day were Nuthatch, Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit and Wren plus a very close view of our smallest bird a Goldcrest. As we continued we found 2 Mistle Thrushes in the treetops above us and as we approached Tucking Mill a Grey Heron was spotted in a tree. In Tucking Mill is a small lake called Tucking Mill Reservoir and as we walked up the footpath a Buzzard was seen and on the lake was a single Moorhen and 2 Little Grebe. Back on the lane we continued to a house where they feed the birds and have a tree full of feeders, here lots of birds already seen during the morning were in and out but amongst them was at least 1 Marsh Tit and on the ground a male Chaffinch hoovering up the seeds other birds had dropped. As we walked back to the cars a small flock of 4+ Bullfinches were seen with the males shining brightly in the sunshine. I think we all including Roger had a good morning even though the list was smaller than we would normally expect on this walk.

Roe Deer by Midford Brook - Bath Birdwatcher