Pleased to meet you

I've been taking it a bit easier with the long bike rides since suffering some knee pain after a 50 mile trip back in March but a positive session with the physio recently made me a bit more confident that the problem was a temporary one - it turned out that the knee braces I had been wearing for support had probably been doing more harm than good, causing abrasion of the kneecap by restricting its natural movement and preventing the development of the surrounding muscles. So when I was kicking around home around noon on Saturday 23rd May with not much to do, and news broke of a singing Common Rosefinch at Martin Down, 28 miles to the north over the Hampshire border, I thought I would be a good opportunity to give the knees a run out.

Common Rosefinch, Martin Down, 23rd March

I was on the road by 1300 and although I knew it would be hot as it was in the middle of the recent heatwave, I calculated that at least I would be travelling back in the cool of the day. Because of the heat and the knees I didn't push myself too hard, assuming that a singing bird would probably stay put for the rest of the day at least. I had chosen the mountain bike for the journey rather than the hybrid and although it glided along the Castleman Trailway as far as Wimborne, it was a bit sluggish on the long road north to Cranborne. It came into its own again on the lanes and tracks to Martin Down though, and I arrived shortly before 1600.

Common Rosefinch delivering the 'Pleased to meet you' song with gusto

My friend Andy Mears, who had been in the area looking for the Red-footed Falcon at Holt Heath, but detoured to Martin Down after it observed its habit of vanishing in the middle of the day, arrived just before me and, as I reached the breach in the Bokerley Dyke which marks the border between Dorset and Hampshire, he broke the unhappy news that the Rosefinch had not been seen for over half an hour. This was most unwelcome, but having come so far, I was not going to give up yet and besides, there were other good birds to try to add to the non-motorised year list.

The Rosefinch in the shade of a tree

Chief among these was Turtle Dove, which I have seen at Martin Down in 2 of the last 3 years on bike trips in May or June. Although there had been sightings this spring, sadly they were not in their usual haunts on this occasion, apparently visiting nearby farmland where some pools have been dug for them, but the location of these were not known to me. Also on the list of possibilities was Grey Partridge, which have been thin on the ground at my usual site of St Aldhelm's Head this year. Although I could see partridges in a distant field when I got a bit closer they turned out to be Red-legged.

Grizzled Skipper, Martin Down, 23rd May

Having done a circuit of that part of the down I made my way back to the original location of the Rosefinch. The Red-footed Falcon had re-appeared so Andy had left to look for that, but a few other birders had the same idea as me of hoping that the Rosefinch would return to the scene of past crimes and start singing again as the day cooled.

Small Blue, Martin Down, 23rd May

By 1800 it had been over 2 hrs since I arrived and 3 since the last sighting so I was beginning to lose hope, and wandered off from the small crowd to look for Marsh Fritillaries near a damp triangle of grass where I had seen them in previous years. I had gone less than 100 yards when I heard the very distinctive 'Pleased to meet you' song of a Common Rosefinch - I looked back at the others but no-one else seemed to have heard it so I beckoned them over and sure enough it sang again. 

Red-legged Partridge, Martin Down, 23rd May

The only thing we had to rule out at this point was someone playing a tape but diligent detective work by Dave Bishop checking a path hidden from view below us established that there was no-one there. A few seconds later and the bird sat up in a tree and while it became elusive for the next few minutes it eventually settled on a visible song-post and sat out for all to see.

Grey Partridge, Martin Down, 23rd May

Flushed with success, I decided on one last twirl around the down, back to the lower car park, where the field which held Red-legged Partridges earlier in the day held a pair of Greys, followed by one last, unsuccessful search for Turtle Doves before heading for home. Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting, both of which seem to be doing well in this area, cheered me along - although with hindsight perhaps the latter's 'jangling car keys' song was in fact trolling me with a reminder that there are easier ways to get to Martin Down! Dinner comprised a meal deal from a garage in Wimborne, and it was pretty dark by the time I completed the 55 mile round trip to chalk in Common Rosefinch as the 278th species on the bike list. 

Corn Bunting, near Cranborne, 23rd May