SURREY
MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME : 3 HOURS
Heathland birding walk on the margins of the capital
Olddean Common and Bagshot Heath are part of a large section of classic heathland, bogs, commons and acid woodland straddling the borders of Surrey and Berkshire, adjacent to Sandhurst Royal Military Academy.
Conservation bodies have opened up significant sections of land from conifer plantations in recent years, to enable the purple flowered ling to flourish, along with gorse, bracken and scattered Scots Pines. At Wishmoor Bottom, a small watercourse adds variety to the dry terrain, as does Rapley Lake to the east of the complex. Redstart, Wood Lark, Dartford Warbler and Tree Pipit are still just about present, along with the star of the summer show, the Nightjar
WHERE TO WATCH
1 Check along the brook for Grey Wagtail and birds coming down to drink in hot weather. The mixed woodland should attract a wide range of resident species, including Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Stock Dove, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Mistle Thrush, Marsh and Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Bullfinch, Goldcrest, and Jay. Blackcap and Chiffchaff are the commonest summer visitors, while a few pairs of Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher are also possible.
2 From the Deer Rock Hill vantage point, scan across the canopy for feeding Swifts and hirundines and gulls drifting over. Soaring raptors are often noted from here, typically, Buzzard, Red Kite, Kestrel, Hobby and Sparrowhawk, plus an outside chance of a Peregrine, Goshawk or Honey Buzzard.
3 Scattered heather and scrub attract the more obvious Stonechat and Whitethroat, along with the occasional Tree Pipit song-flighting from isolated pines, and maybe a perched Hobby. Check gorse thickets for Dartford Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat, while scattered birch scrub supports Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and a few pairs of the declining Redstart; Wood Lark prefer clear-felled areas of woodland and new plantations. At dusk, Nightjars are at their most active. ‘churring’ from bare branches, along with the occasional Woodcock displaying overhead. In autumn, a migrant Whinchat or Wheatear could be on the cards. Typical resident species regularly include Green Woodpec
