FROGS’ wildlife walks off to a flying start

THE first FROGS wildlife walk of the year was packed full of flora and fauna and the rare sighting of a red kite.    

Member of FROGS (Frome Recreation and Open Ground Supporters), Liz Hutchinson reports, “Our bird identification walk along Willow Vale and Rodden Meadow led by Dan Lupton took place a few weeks earlier than previous years. As a result, the leaves were only just starting to appear on the trees and we were able to spot the birds much more easily.

“The highlight of the morning was seeing the red kite glide effortlessly above us. It’s unusual to see them in Frome, they are much more common around Warminster and especially at Longleat.

“We were also excited to see sparrowhawks and a heron.  Dan explains to us every year how to identify the more common birds by their flight patterns and their calls and song, and this time we were able to distinguish jackdaws from pigeons, robins from wrens and blackbirds from blackcaps.

“We saw a pair of blue tits engaged in nest-building and spotted several magpies’ nests – huge constructions, easily seen while the trees are bare.

“Many thanks to Dan for an entertaining and informative walk.”

FROGS’ next wildlife walk is this Sunday, 13th May. Veryan Conn will guide people around woodland wild flowers in Vallis Vale. Meet at 2.30pm at the cattle grid by the parking area off Elm Lane.  Information on all FROGS’ walks can be found at: www.fromefrogs.org.uk