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After a week of wet weather we were very lucky to be at Tadnoll on a fine evening with every prospect of seeing Nightjars.
While we had good light we concentrated on the plants to be found in the heath and quickly found a good range of species including Bell Heather, Cross-leaved Heath and Ling. A few orchids were found, all Heath Spotted and fairly small. The fragrant Bog Myrtle was growing in the wetter areas, where we also found a male Reed Bunting and a pair of Stonechats. As the light started to drop we walked out of the trees onto the upper heath. We were still in the trees when we heard the first Nightjar - a male singing very close to the path. This bird moved off to several other singing posts but remained hidden behind the trees. It was now well after sunset and we were getting glimpses of Nightjars as they (or it) moved around the heath. Suddenly a pair of Nightjars appeared high overhead and proceeded to spend several minutes cruising around the heath, mostly just above our heads. After this anything else would be a bonus but we did see one of the Nightjars again as we walked back to the car. |
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Birds Herring Gull Wood Pigeon Nightjar Song Thrush (heard) Blackbird (heard) Robin (heard) Stonechat Reed Bunting |
Notable Plants Heath Spotted Orchid Tormentil Heath Bedstraw Bell Heather Cross-leaved Heath Ling Bog Myrtle |