Weekday and Weekend Walks, and Weekend Coach Outings
Padworth Common 2018
Friday EVENING Walk
On a lovely warm evening 12 people met up at the usual place to find nightjars and woodcock.
The biggest problem was that it was not dark until nearly 10pm and being nocturnal they were not “churning” or flying that much.
It was about 10:15pm when we saw 3 nightjars fly over the top of us on our way back to the cars.
We did hear tawny owls in the distance but only 15 species were seen and 5 heard in the evening.
This was the last trip of the 2017/18 programme.
Padworth Common, 22/6/2018, fine
Mallard
Pheasant
Woodcock
Black-headed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Tawny Owl (H)
Nightjar
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Kestrel (H)
Jay
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Goldcrest (H)
Blue Tit
Chiffchaff
Blackcap (H)
Nuthatch
Blackbird
Robin
Chaffinch (H)
15 Bird Species seen and 5 heard
12 People
Chris Shields (rspb-images.com) Artist's impression of Nightjar and Woodcock
We meet at 8pm. Park in the small lay-bys along Silver Lane, RG7 4QR. OS SU628652 Lat/Long 51.3829, -1.0983
Evening outing to Padworth Common Local Nature Reserve and Wildlife Heritage Site, for nightjar and woodcock. Bring a torch and insect repellant.
The reserve has a network of paths and a variety of habitats including lowland heath, oak and pine woodlands, ponds and a wet alder woodland. The heathland has nightjar, tree pipit, stonechat, woodlark and the occasional Dartford warbler. Elsewhere - woodpeckers, siskin, goldcrest, treecreeper, woodcock, tawny owl, tits, finches. Our 2015 visit had good views of both nightjar and woodcock at around 10pm.
No facilities. Decent path to nightjar area, muddy paths through woods. Flat.