A wander along the Ridge footpath and then towards the Ash Valley gave good views of several birds not seen regularly. Firstly, 2 lesser whitethroats were first heard and then seen in hedgerow along the Ridge path. A common buzzard mewed overhead and 2 little owls called from an oak tree adjacent to the river. One then flew out over the field and into thick vegetation. A solitary mallard headed south as I walked along the footpath near the river. Here, I startled 2 grey partridges who then proceeded to lure me away from the chicks that I could hear in the long grass. Their broken wing act was most impressive and gave me unusually great views to get a few photos of this hard to photograph bird. The main one shows the adult male in full pomp, standing erect and threatening. They have been known to attack intruders and as they're a scratching bird I didn't fancy getting involved with their extremely sharp claws!
A southern hawker dragonfly was also registered on the ridge footpath.
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