This morning I helped Terry Elborne with his ringing site on Canford Heath. Help wasn’t really required as we only caught three birds, but I have said many times before, it’s great to be out soon after dawn on a sunny spring morning, just listening to the song of Chiffchaffs and the drumming of woodpeckers.
On the way back we had great views of a pair of Dartford Warblers and two separate Sand Lizards. I popped back to Terry and Karen’s house for a cuppa and I was amazed how much little Kimberley has grown, the last time I was round at their house she was a newborn baby.
Canford Heath with the Canford Heath housing estate behind. This estate was built a few years before I came to Dorset, fortunately the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act stopped the rest being developed and to this day a large block of urban heathland remains.
One of the key heathland species is the Sand Lizard which can often be seen basking on the edges of the paths. Canford Heath is a stronghold for this endangered species.
You shouldn't photograph Schedule 1 species in the breeding season, so here is a photo of a Dartford Warbler I took during the winter in the New Forest.
'Wow, haven't I grown!' - 19 month old Kimberley.
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