Interesting to hear you have been spending time in the New Forest Geoff. I spent a week there in early June and recorded almost no Wood Warblers (apart from a couple of probable singing birds that I couldn’t pin down). However, I did have a roost of 10 singing Cuckoo at first light on Fritham Plain and saw plenty of Woodlarks, Hawfinches, Redstarts, Spotted Flys. Only found one LSW though, and only recorded 7 Willow Warbler in the entire week!
Quite low numbers of Willow Warblers on the Quantocks this year too…
On the flip side, definitely an increase in Pied Flycatchers in Somerset in the past 10 years.

Thanks for the reply Matt.  I normally visit much earlier in the year around the first week in May so this was a late date for me, although I was on site from about 07.45.  There are normally two “Gropper” territories along the path that you describe: one near the road and another near the Whinchat site.  I also walked along Horner Water from Pool Bridge through Wilmersham and Horner Woods without any Wood Warbler sightings although it’s good to hear that they were present when you visited.  In the New Forest where I do most of my birdwatching these days they are down to a handful of pairs!

Although Exmoor is a wonderful place it has lost many of its species over the last forty years or so and birds such as Red & even Black Grouse, Merlin, Ring Ouzel are but a distant memory.  On a positive note Pied Flycatchers seem to be doing well!

Hi Geoff,

I had 6 Wood Warbler in Wilmersham Wood and had two Groppers on the bottom track NW of Dunkery on May 5th, so perhaps they have just stopped singing now.
What time of day did you visit? I went between 9AM-2PM.

Good to hear the Whinchats, Pied Flys and Cuckoos were still active.

Very quiet on the moors & coombes - Dunkery, Aller Moor and Chetsford Water - with a cold, grey start to the day brightening up in the afternoon. Several Whinchats being the highlights including a regular pair on the north-west side of Dunkery, and at least one more pair near Chetsford Water. Three Cuckoos were still calling & other birds included: Whitethroat, WIllow Warbler, Mipits, Skylark, Stonechat & a few Swallows.  Three Buzzards & a Kestrel were the only raptors observed.

In Horner Woods three pairs of Pied Flycatchers were observed feeding young in nest boxes. A pair of Grey Wagtails were on Horner Water also a Grey Heron fishing & two Treecreepers. Wood Warblers were either absent or had stopped calling as had the usual “Groppers” on Dunkery?

No humans except for one horse-rider were observed so very privileged to have the place to myself!!