Blustery Day at Lydlinch Common

What a dreadful day, squally showers, strong gusts of wind, but at least it's milder than of late. So I thought I'll have an hour wandering around Lydlinch Common, a remnant of Dorset common surrounded by the Stock Gaylard estate near Sturminster Newton. To the south is mixed ancient woodland which unfortunately isn't open access like the Common as it is managed for pheasant rearing.

Talk about wet underfoot, considering this is a SSSI and LNR, it could do with some drainage, ha ha. Good place for butterflies in the summer though. Most noticable were the singing Great Tits, counted 6 maybe 7, and at one point a Gt Tit picking moss off a tree, surely they're not nest building already? Other birds of the walk were, 10+ Blackbirds, 5+ Blue Tit, single Coal Tit, 3 Jay, 2 Magpie, 2 Wren, 2 Robin, male Chaffinch, Buzzard, Kestrel, couple of Carion Crow overhead, but considering the weather, and that a very low flying Hercules transport plane flew over too (this is a Low Flying zone), this wasn't bad.

At the edge of the Common, quite a few Fallow Deer marks in the soft mud, which I saw all too briefly as they scampered into the woods. Photo (left) of hoof print in route used by Fallow Deer into and out of the Common.

Finally, in the afternoon, on our way to see the Golden Compass, there are now 4 Little Egret in the Venn fields at Milborne Port. At this rate there'll be Cattle Egrets next!!