Over 20 villagers and friends spent an enchanting evening in the Buriton Chalk Pits Local Nature Reserve on Wednesday 11th May - and emerged much wiser about the distinctive bird songs of many of our local species.
Buriton resident and natural history expert Di Mitchell led a guided tour, ably supported by husband Martin.
The evening was part of a wider programme of events making use of the Chalk Pits area - which is being enhanced thanks to a £150,000 Heritage Lottery Grant awarded to the Parish Council.
One of the most difficult parts of the evening, for all those who took part, was resisting the temptation to chat and talk.
But the rewards were well worth the effort with most participants being able to successfully recognise the calls of a number of different birds. The highlights of the evening were probably the high notes of the relatively rare Firecrest.
Flowers were not overlooked and at least three different species of orchids were seen: Twayblades, White Helleborines and the unusual Bird's Nest Orchid.
The warm and sunny evening ended with the delightful sound of the Buriton bell-ringers practicing in the village below.
Sincere thanks go to Di & Martin Mitchell and to the Queen Elizabeth Country Park who are helping to support the Buriton Chalk Pits project.
More details of the project, including future events, can be found at http://buriton.info/buriton_chalk_pits
