Seymour Birdies Diary: A Mid-May Visit to Thursley Common

10th May 2025

Looking back over my records it is three years since we last visited Thursley so time for a wander to try our luck with the site specialities. The first thing to notice was as we were now well into May a few dragonflies and damselflies were on the wing. There were just one or two Common Blue Damselflies and also numerous Large Red Damselflies which were too involved in mating to stop for a photo.

By far the most numerous species was the Four-spotted Chaser which were zipping around the new ponds, occasionally taking a break on a suitable perch.

Even managed to get one in flight.

But the best of all today was the single male Broad-bodied Chaser that put in an occasional appearance. What stunning insects!!!

So now on to the birds, and the first to pose for his photograph was this cracking male Stonechat. The habitat here is very suitable for them so not surpringly they were everywhere.

While we were photographing the Stonechat I could hear a Wood Lark singing further up the track, but then it suddenly appeared just 20 yards away sitting on top of some Gorse. Absolutely amazing!!!

This shot shows that not only do Wood Larks have shorter tails than Sky Larks, but also the supercilia meet behind the head.

A little further up the track was a larger patch of Gorse which was home to a male Dartford Warbler. It was skulking most of the time but would occasionally perch on its favourite set of dead branches for some shots. It took over an hour to get these shots but well worth it.