I kept my birding glasses on while away as it was set in such amazing countryside, so it was therefore abundant in wildlife - surprising as there was so much human activity!
On the way down there were countless buzzards, and as we passed bristol, raptor sightings increased and i even managed a few sightings of several Red Kites! Still as amazing as ever to see. There were also a few Roe Deer seen in the fields, a sight i don't often get up here in the Midlands. What struck me was how much nicer the farmland is here, compared to the bland arable fields which cover nottinghamshire, the farming here is usually livestock, and with this comes a more green and lush landscape. The rolling hills are peppered with large mature trees and woods and even the roadsides are full of a great diversity of wildflowers. On a road we were travelling on on the way back, i saw a verge which was covered in a huge variety of flowers, the most notable being Pyramidal Orchids, there were loads of them! On a roadside!!! I still love nottinghamshire, but this end of the country is a lot more beautiful!
At the festival itself, there were still lots of birds about. There was a constant flock of Lesser Black Backed Gulls filling the air over the site, waiting for an oppurtunity to rifle through the litter that so many people can drop (its disgusting really). Up at my campsite, which was situated in a nice quiet lawn in front of worthy farm, there was an abundance of Swallows which kept me entertained as i sat by my tent. There was a rookery nearby too, and every evening around 9pm, chattering flocks would pass overhead noisily, obviously flying off to a communal roost somewhere to the south. They would pass each day like clockwork, forcing everyone in the area to look up. It gave the feeling of being in the wild, depsite 200,000 people milling around below.
Buzzards were seen regularly over the skys, often being mobbed by rooks and jackdaws. Elsewhere on site there was also a good diversity of passerines. On a busy thoroughfare in the festival, i passed on many occasions a group of trees which always had a singing Chiffchaff, heard clearly over the din of the festival, and goldfinches and Long tailed tits were constantly heard in the hedgerows.
So i had a great time, if very tiring, and managed to see plenty of wildlife thrown in. Just need a couple more days and i'll be right as rain! Off to clifton later to have a wander (hopefully my dodgy knee won't stop me) so i'll write up a report later in the week.
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