Bickleigh Vale
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Birds of Bickleigh Vale

Our most notable wild residents are the birdlife. 

White-faced herons in Bickleigh Vale - near nest high in Wimbourne
Near their nest outside Wimborne and Abbotsley
White-faced herons in Bickleigh Vale - at SonningfieldPicture
In the Sonningfield garden

White-faced herons

In Spring 2019, a pair of White-faced Herons built a nest high in a pine tree on roadside by Wimborne and Abbotsley. After one failure they built another nest higher up and eventually two young hatched.  Like many young birds their first excursion out of the nest are just along the branches while they were still being fed by their parents.

Soon they could be seen  in nearby trees, though still high up, especially in the trees at Sonningfield.

They soon came down to start feeding and visited several properties. One of their vantage points was the tennis court fence at The Barn.  [photo] 
White-faced herons in Bickleigh Vale - at The BarnPicture
Watching tennis at The Barn







They spent some time  hunting frogs and insects in and around the ponds at Whistlewood before heading off to explore the wider world.
White-faced herons in Bickleigh Vale - at WhistlewoodPicture
Hunting around the Whistlewood ponds


​Tawny Frogmouths (Podargus strigoides) - we have a family of Tawny Frogmouths with in the trees of Sonning / Sonningfield last spring and have been recently heard. 
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Powerful Owl with possum prey, Devon Cottage





​Powerful Owls (Ninox strenua) - have been sighted in the trees in the Devon Cottage garden and, more recently, in the Pine Tree opposite Downderry. This one at Devon Cottage had caught an unlucky possum.

Other unidentified owls play the "Guess where I am" game - hooting and clearly audible the length of the village.
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​In the morning, the sulphur crested cockatoos and corellas can make quite a racket as they screach around the village.
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Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Devon Cottage

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​But the Kookaburra's are there every day - laughing away to each other morning and evening.as they keep a lookout for a juicy morsel when gardeners are turning the soil.
​This one was sitting in an old gum tree in Edna Walling Lane
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Bird house, Sonningfield
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King Parrot, Abbotsley
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King Parrots, Devon Cottage
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Red-browed Finch, Devon Cottage
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Galah, Devon Cottage

Bird Sightings

Most of the birds seen at Bickleigh Vale are resident in the village with the most obvious seasonal visitor being the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos which arrive for Christmas and stay over summer.
Several species breed here and in spring and early summer many juveniles can be seen, especially Crimson Rosellas and Red Wattlebirds.



​1. Wedge-tailed Eagle (flying overhead)
2. Masked Lapwing
3. White-faced Heron

4. Common Bronzewing
5. Crested Pigeon
6. Spotted Pigeon
7. Rock Dove (Common Pigeon)

8. Tawny Frogmouth (heard at night)
9. Galah
10. Little Corella
11. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
12. Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

13 Gang-gang Cockatoo
14. Rainbow Lorikeet
15. Little Lorikeet

16. Australian King-Parrot
17. Crimson Rosella
18. Eastern Rosella
19. Southern Boobook (heard at night)
20. Laughing Kookaburra
21. White-browed Scrubwren
22. Brown Thornbill
23. Spotted Pardalote
24. Eastern Spinebill
25. Noisy Miner
26. Common Myna

27. Red Wattlebird
28. Eastern Spinebill
29. Grey Fantail

30. Grey Butcherbird
31. Australian Magpie
32. Pied Currawong
33. Little Raven
34. Blackbird
​35. 
Red-browed Finch​
36. Silvereye
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Gang-gang cockatoos at The Barn, January 2018
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Thirsty Rainbow Lorikeets at Sonningfield, Feb 2018

Friends of Edna Walling at Bickleigh Vale Village. All rights reserved
  • Home
    • Quick Find Index
    • Edna's Vision
  • Properties
    • Map & Introduction
    • Abbotsley
    • Badgers Wood
    • The Barn
    • The Sheilan
    • Downderry
    • Glencairn
    • Hurst
    • Lynton Lee
    • Mistover
    • Sonningfield
    • Sonning
    • The Spinney
    • Wimborne
    • Winty
    • Whistlewood
  • Blog
  • Contact