Malvern Hills (1 Viewer)

[andythomas]

Map reference: SO7640

The grassy tops of the Malvern Hills are good for a walk at any time of year, but it is probably the passage birds which hold the most interest for birders. Ring Ouzel and Redstart are regular migrants, best seen in the North Hill/Happy Valley area at the northern end of the hills.

The last two winters have produced Hawfinch sightings in the hornbeams and beeches on Chase End Hill, with small numbers of Bramblings. Snow Buntings have also been seen at this time of year on the hilltops.

Nearby Castlemorton Common has patches of gorse and bramble which have held breeding Grasshopper Warblers in the past. Woodcock and Jack Snipe are often present in winter months.

Website: The Malvern Conservators website has a page on the birds of the Malvern Hills here.

Access: There are many car parks along the 8 mile ridge of the hills. Park near Great Malvern for the northern hills and at British Camp where the A449 cuts through for the southern hills, or on Castlemorton Common.

Resident: Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Raven, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Yellowhammer.

April - September: Wheatear, Stonechat, Tree Pipit, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Grasshopper Warbler, Wood Warbler. Ring Ouzel on passage.

October - March: Fieldfare, Redwing, Redpoll, Siskin

 

[Geraldine]

Hi Andy,
Thanks for a very interesting account, and fab picture. It's not an area I know, and a few birds I've never seen, so very useful. :t:

 

[Karl J]

Had a great week of walking and wotnot in the Malvern area last week so just a few words....

Rained for the first couple of says, bit of a deluge on Thursday but then it was sunny

I guess its better known as a popular area for walking, with well maintained footpaths and trails making even the biggest hill accessible to many people, wide scenery from the top that makes the hard work of getting there all the more worthwhile, a nice town (or so i am told - though i have to admit one town is much the same as another to me) that seems to have the balance of tourism & conservation just about right and fortunately few of the traffic issues that plague some places. Car-parking for walkers / tourists etc seems well catered for with flat-fee (£2.00 per day i think it was) in carparks around the base of the hills and some free spaces on the outskirts of town. The tourist office was well stocked with walking maps, printed routes etc and finding a tea room certainly wasn't a problem either

Walked about in fairly relaxed fashion and reckoned on having seen somewhere in the region of 40 sp. would've liked to go up the southernmost hills but read the map wrong so they are left for another time. oh well...

Shant go into everything as mostly common enough, but i guess the most interesting (to me) were the ones that arent so common in E. Norfolk, such as the buzzards - had quite a memorable moment while walking along the ridge up to the Worcestershire Beacon and looking down on a buzzard holding totally still into the wind - certainly not a view i've seen around here, actually i've never seen it anywhere so that was good, saw a Raven on a grassy hillside, a few sprinklings of Nuthatches, c.4 Willow Tit - (not a lot, well, actually, no experience came into play here, i just went for Willow over Marsh Tit based on the size of the black bib. But maybe someone has other opinions on the likelihood of me being right ?).

briefly saw a Cuckoo, also Greater-spotted & Green Woodpeckers, 2 Sparrowhawks soaring together, Blackcap, Skylark, Willow Warbler etc. noticeably didnt see any Lapwing but did see one Tawny Owl briefly as it flew along the edge of the trees in the (Blackmore) campsite late one evening