Sierra Morena trip day 2 - rain stops play!

Obviously wishing for another sunny day on last night's post was just asking for trouble! Today dawned soggy and very misty in the Sierra Morena mountains, so sadly the Spanish Imperial Eagles didn't show at all. At times the mist was so thick that I couldn't even see the pine tree in which they usually like to perch.

However, the day wasn't a complete washout for wildlife. The eagle hide is in a clearing on a high ridge, surrounded by dense woodland - a rich habitat. So although the eagles didn't put in an appearance, there were plenty of woodland birds to keep me occupied. Again, today's shots have only had a quick crop, so I'll be editing properly once I'm back in the UK.

Azure-winged Magpie in the mist

  The stars of the show were the Azur-winged Magpies. These cheeky little bandits suddenly appear as if from nowhere in noisy flocks of 20 or more. They are very entertaining to watch as they carry out their raids on the bait with about as much subtlety as a gang of teenagers loitering outside an off-license!

Azure-winged Magpie - showing why it has it's name!

The mist & drizzle did provide some interesting light effects, so I had fun experimenting with different shots.

Jay with crest raised

As well as the Magpies, 3 or 4 Jays flew through the clearing, and one landed for just long enough for me to rattle off 3 or 4 shots. To me, the Jays here look markedly bigger than the ones I'm used to seeing in the UK, but I could be wrong! A small group of rather bedraggled Spotless Starlings also hung around for a while.

Spotless Starlings

As you'd expect, there were several species of Thrush present, including Blackbirds, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush. Interestingly, there was also one solitary Redwing - a bit of a rarity for the area, even in winter. 

Mistle Thrush

A very obliging Sardinian Warbler decided to perch right by the hide, which was handy! I also had good views of Black Redstarts. 

Sardinian Warbler

Female Black Redstart

Disappointing not to get the Eagles, but that's wildlife -and the weather at this time of year - for you. keeping everything crossed that the weather might improve again over the weekend...

Sierra Morena Winter trip - day 1

I'm currently in Southern Spain, on the first day of a winter trip to the beautiful Sierra Morena range in Andalucia.  It's a wonderful area for wildlife, with the possibility of seeing some really rare species, including the majestic Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vultures - and my main target species, the Iberian Lynx. I'll be spending the weekend in search of these elusive felines, but today the pace was a bit more relaxed, as I spent the day in a purpose-built hide for woodland birds.

As the site is quite shaded, the light is very low unil about 9.30am at this time of year, so I was quite pleased to get a little lie-in after a long day in transit yesterday!  The hide is located deep in mature Cork Oak & Stone Pine woodland on a private estate, with a view directly out onto a raised pool constructed from an old walled pen. It's very well set-up for extremely close views of the birds; if anything some were a bit too close for my 500mm lens! 

I've got masses of shots to go through from today alone, but I thought I'd share a few straight away to whet your appetite. These are pretty much straight as they came out the camera, apart from a quick crop - so bear with me!

Crested Tit

The day got off to a great start, with Crested Tits and Hawfinches making an appearance almost straight away. I had 4 different Crested Tits come to the pool - mainly in the morning, although one did stop in for a few seconds in the afternoon. I could hear more of them trilling away in the trees all around throughout the day too.

Crested Tit

   The Hawfinches ( or 'fat beaks' as they are known here) were coming and going frequently throughout the day. It was really nice to get a decent look at these shy birds, as they are generally very hard to get a good view of in the UK.

Hawfinch

Hawfinch 

Hawfinch

Another highlight for me was the Common Crossbills. I had great views of a female and a juvenile, but only managed record shots because they were just too close for my lens. Still, really good to see them.

Juvenile Common Crossbill drinking

I also had a couple of Greenfinches -  mainly in the morning. Several gangs of 12-20 Serins were present for much of the day, as well as very familiar woodland birds such as Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches, Robins,and a Dunnock. A solitary Pied Wagtails and a flock of Yellow Wagtails were also feeding on the ground around the site. The tits were particularly entertaining and I enjoyed watching their antics.

Greenfinch

Serin

Several Nuthatches came and went. They're one of my favourite woodland birds to watch; I love the way they hop up trunks like little wind-up toys.

Nuthatch

Several Griffon Vultures and a Buzzard flew by overhead, and the local Goshawk did put in a special guest appearance... frustratingly, by landing on the roof of the hide with a kill! So I only really saw the shape of the bird, but there is a decent population in the region, so I'll keep fingers crossed for a better view!

Off to watch the Imperial Eagles tomorrow, so I'm hoping for another sunny day - and obliging wildlife, of course!

Saturday Sightings

I had my camera & lens serviced during the week, so I wanted to get out to give it a quick test run before my trip to Andalucía next week. We took a quick scoot out around the lanes around Aldbourne yesterday afternoon, just to see what was about. The area has quite a rich mix of different habitats, with sloping chalk meadows, traditional hedgerows and pockets of mixed woodland, so it's always worth a visit.

Even before we got out of town, we passed the local gang of Long-tailed Tits, hanging out in the trees across from our house. We also spotted a Sparrowhawk hunting starlings just above the car.

Redwing

Fieldfare

 Once we got into the countryside, there were lots of wintering small birds in the fields up on the ridgeline. We saw several large flocks of Fieldfares, Redwings and Goldfinch, as well as a mixed flock of Chaffinches and Bramblings. I always keep an eye out for Grey Partridge in this area, as I have occasionally seen them here - however this time there were only the usual Red-legged Partridge. We also spotted two pheasant cocks having a scrap a the edge of the woods; just a bit too distant for pictures, sadly.

Red-legged partridge

The resident raptors were all in evidence too; we saw 3 Red kites, several buzzards - including one on a kill, a Sparrowhawk, and  two Kestrels.

There was evidently a shoot going on, so there weren't too many mammals to be seen, although we did spot a male Roe Deer sitting down in a patch of long grass.

An abundance of owls

If only all winter days were as crisp and bright as today! We got up reasonably early (well, for a Sunday) for a quick scoot round to a local sight on the Ridgeway, where there have been a couple of Short-eared Owls seen recently. The fields at the base of the hill are really sodden & waterlogged, so there were quite a lot of gulls paddling around. Lou kept getting excited every time she saw white wings from the corner of her eye, in case it might be an owl. We did have a possible distant sighting of what looked to be a owl going into a clump of trees to roost, but it was quite a brief glimpse, so couldn't be 100% sure. I'll pop back one afternoon later in the week for another look.

 Driving round the country lanes was very pleasant in the morning sunshine. There were quite a lot of small birds - particularly Corn Buntings, Gold Finches and several Yellowhammers. We also saw a couple of small groups of Fallow Deer browsing in the fields, and a number of Brown Hares.  We had a great view of a pair of Red Kites circling along the ridge, as well as several buzzards perched up.

Corn Bunting

This afternoon, we'd arranged to take my friend Piotr out to the Salisbury Plains in the hope of seeing a Short-eared Owl or two, since he'd never seen one before. Conditions were just about perfect today, with clear skies, sunshine and no wind. Driving out, we passed a large flock of Lapwings feeding in  a semi-flooded field. We arrived at the site just before 1pm, and immediately spotted our first Shortie, quartering over the long grass on the slopes. We spent quite a while watching her catch & eat a vole, before driving on down the valley.

Short-eared Owl

Louise somehow managed to spot our second owl hunkered down on the ground in a sheep field. It seemed to be keeping a close watch on the pair of Kestrels that were hunting up & down the field! We watched it for about 30 minutes, hoping it might take to the wing, however it worked it's way right down into the long grass, so that it was completely hidden.  We had a little while to wait before our next owl sighting, but there was plenty to see in the meantime; several Kestrels wheeling and hovering, Stonechats, Fieldfares and Buntings.

Short-eared Owl

As the afternoon wore on, the owls came thick and fast. We saw at least 7 individuals and possibly up to 12. The far end of the valley was particularly good today, with 4 owls hunting up and down a relatively small sheltered area - much to the consternation of a flock of Fieldfares. There were a further 3 or 4 hunting up the slopes at the top of the valley, and at least one individual in the mid-section.

Short-eared Owl with vole

Short-eared Owl

A really overexposed photo but shows the bushes

The afternoon light was beautiful, especially as the sun started to go down. We had some fantastic close views of some of the birds - one in particular was very obliging in it's choice of post to sit on! It doesn't matter how many Shorties I see; I can never get enough of them!

Last rays of sun

Rousing

I was absolutely kicking myself about a missed opportunity, though... I noticed a small falcon just above us, but with my main attention on the owls, I dismissed it as a Kestrel. Belatedly, I realised it was a Female Merlin, so I should've been shooting away at it when it was right overhead! Still, can't have everything! That's two at close quarters and still no photo....Merlin are definitely a bogey for me!! 

I'm full!!

Winter waterfowl & some signs of Spring

The forecast for the weekend isn't brilliant, so I thought  I'd better take the chance to get out for a bit today. So after dropping Lou at work, I headed round to Coate Water to see what was around.

On the main lake, there were lots of Canada Geese, 4  Goosanders,  Great Crested Grebes and a large group  of Tufted Ducks, including one that was visibly different - possibly a Scaup hybrid. However, I couldn't get close enough for a decent shot to confirm. Most of the Wigeon have now left, apart from one last straggler.

Moving on to the smaller Nature Reserve lake, I spent a good couple of hours - mainly looking at tits! As well as the usual Blue, Coal and Great Tits, a large flock of Long-tailed Tits kept me amused with their antics, and a Marsh Tit was showing well. This is quite a new thing for this hide, but the bird seems to have been visiting quite a few times recently. 

Blue Tit

Also visiting the feeders were a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and a couple of Coots & Moorhens. A Wren was rummaging around in the vegetation. A Water Rail was heard calling just behind the hide, & we were hopeful it might visit the feeders, as they occasionally do when it's cold. However, just after we heard its grunting call, a Sparrowhawk flushed all of the small birds.

Great-spotted Woodpecker - Male

There were lots of Teal and a few Gadwall, plus several more Goosanders and Great Crested Grebes. Apparently they were seen showing more courting behaviour this morning, including displaying with waterweed. I didn't observe this myself. However, the Grey Heron's were carrying nesting material back to the heronry so there are definitely a few early signs of Spring in the air.  I also spotted the Great White Egret visiting Coate fairly regularly over the last few months, flying past distantly. The Canada Geese were busy shuttling noisily to and fro between this and the main lake.

Long-tailed Tit

Further round the lake, Hide 2 looks out across a shallow backwater and small island. Generally, there were similar birds to be seen here, but also Pochard and Mute Swans - mainly juveniles.
On the island, over a dozen Snipe were hunkered down on the edges. A second group were flushed by a Heron flying in. The Great White Egret landed on the island, and one of the Kingfishers did a quick fly by, as did a flock of Redwings. Quite a few Cormorants fishing and perched up too.I heard a Green Woodpecker calling, but didn't see it today.

On the walk back to the car, I had Greenfinch, Goldfinch and a Goldcrest. Not a bad tally for a couple of hours of easy birding!

There are Owls in those fields!!!

Today I took a friend out to the Salisbury Plains, to see if we could see any of the Short-eared Owls that have been so elusive for me on my previous visits. 

The sun was out with only a few scattered clouds, so we thought the chances should be pretty good, as on the previous days it had been raining in the area with some wind. 

On route a few hares and roe deer were seen in the fields, along with the odd buzzard. The weather was pleasant, though cold, when we arrived on the tracks. Other watchers were out,  but not many owls had been seen.  As we drove around, the very tolerant resident Kestrel was perched in his usual spot, and some Stonechats were seen along with a couple of Corn Buntings. 

By late afternoon with no owls being spotted we decided to try a bit further along the valley.  Finally, success! Though distant, two Shorties could be seen quartering over the rough grass. Under a hour of light was left by then, so our fingers were firmly crossed that they would come closer. However, no luck - as they continued up the ridge. 

I should have been paying attention to the bushes on the side of the track, as they like to perch on them. Right enough, one had been perched by the side of the road & as we drove past, off it went! It landed on the ground a short distance further back, allowing a quick record shot. 

Short-eared Owl

We decided to head back to the location of our first sighting and wait. Glad we did, as one continued to hunt and caught a vole. As it flew off with it, what looked like another Owl jumped up and successfully stole her lunch. On closer inspection it was the female Hen Harrier. The disgruntled Owl flew off and perched on one of the hawthorns further back in the field. While we were waiting for more action, the Male Hen Harrier flew past quite distantly. 

Short-eared Owl

As the sun was now setting, we decided to head off and on our way round stopped to have a quick chat with another visiting friend who had been lucky to see 4 owls from his position, though again fairly distant. While we chatting our forth owl appeared, hunting in the distance. We said our farewells and headed out and just on the last 30 meters of track encountered one last Shortie perched fairly close by. 

It was now dusk, so it was a case of up with the ISO and hope for the best!

Short-eared Owl

A couple of records shots of our fifth Owl of the day. Including our friend's sightings there were at least 7 individual birds present. We are assuming this perched bird and the other seen while we were talking were two of the four he saw as they were in the same area. 

Short-eared Owl

Lets hope for some nice weather at the weekend as we are hoping to return.

No Muntjac Deer but Great Spotted Woodpeckers a plenty

I decided to head towards the Midlands today, as the morning was clear and the sun was out. The hide I visit is located on the edge of a mixed woodland, and today my main target was Muntjac Deer. There are a small group in the area, so there's a reasonable chance of seeing one or more. It has been a little while since I've seen the adult male so I wanted to give it a go. 

The drive up through Gloucestershire was pleasant and I passed lots of buzzards in the fields feeding. If I could have stopped, I would have taken advantage of a couple of male pheasants fighting close to the edge of the field but no suitable place to pull over, so I pressed onward to the hide. 

When I arrived at about 9.30 am the sun was low and shining straight into the wood. As I approached the location I put up a few Fieldfares and lots of Chaffinches. While I was getting my gear ready there were 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a few Blackbirds. Over the next few hours I took advantage of the Woodpeckers, as the deer were not showing. I did get my hopes up when the buck started to bark nearby but he didn't come into the open. A couple of Grey Squirrels were busy rooting about, along with Red-legged Partridge, Nuthatch, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue tits and a  chatty flock of Long-tailed Tits flew by but did not stop. 

Great Spotted Woodpecker - Male

A Gold Crest made a appearance, but did not show in the open too well so missed out on the photos of her. It seems this pair is now showing most days, so I'll keep trying to get them over the coming weeks. 

Great Spotted Woodpecker - Female

I am 99% sure a Willow Tit showed briefly and if it was it would be the first at this location. I will be keeping my eye out in the future as it would be fantastic for Willow Tits to be returning to this wood. Other sightings included, Collard Dove, Stock Dove, Buzzard and the Sparrowhawk flew past. A stunning Song Thrush was preasant for some time, however kept to the shadows so clearly didn't want to give any photo opportunities!


Blackbird - Young Male

Over all a pleasant few hours, even though my main target was missed on this occasion. 

Andalucian adventures - part two

More about our birding trip to the South of Spain last September!

Sights visited: Bonanza Salinas & Algaida Marismas (wetlands)

Doñana National Park is one of Europe's most important wetland sites - particularly for wintering migrant birds. Access to the core of the park itself is restricted, but these sites in the surrounding area attract many of the same birds.


Driving towards Trebujena to enter the Marismas area, we were surprised to see an adult Imperial Eagle perched on a pylon - presumably one of the Doñana birds. Sadly as it's a fast & busy stretch of road, we couldn't stop for a better look.

We always like to come through the Trebujena end of the area, as you get a spectacular view down across the river and marshes. In the early autumn, it's also very nice to see the grapes being harvested in the vineyards as you pass through.

As there had been very little rainfall all year, the area of Marismas between Trebujena and Algaida were extremely desiccated, so most of the wildlife was concentrated along the drainage channels. Unfortunately, since many of the wider channels seem to have been dredged in the previous winter, the banks are now so high that it is impossible to see down into the channels from a car. This made getting views of Purple Swamp Hens and Jack Snipe more difficult than in previous years. This section of the wetlands does tend to be of more interest in the Spring, when the area is wet & verdant. However, it's a good area for both Short-toed and Lesser Short-Toed Lark, Corn Buntings and Stonechats and we had a Red Kite circling above us for quite some time. 

Crested Lark & Stonechat

A number of small raised pools just before the road reaches the river are generally worth a  stop for a look for smaller waders, Little Grebe, Stilts, Wood Sandpiper, and Squacco Herons - as well as the Greylag Geese that are the emblem of the Park.

Moving on alongside the Guadalquivir river towards the fish farm, there were plenty of birds to see, such as young Flamingos, Black Winged Stilts, Shovellers, Avocets, Cormorants, Little & Cattle Egrets. I spent some time with a pair of juvenile Flamingos on a small inlet, playing with reflection shots.

Greater Flamingos (Even though the smaller one is very small it is a greater)

Just before Algaida village, a clump Tamarisk bushes is a daytime roost for a large colony of Night Herons. If disturbed, we've seen up to 60 birds stream out, and circle round a few times before settling back once more.

Knight Herons (Juveniles and Adult leaving the roost)

The Algaida pinewoods are home to a substantial number of Black Kites, as well as a very elusive group of Azure-winged Magpies, which we've never yet managed to see in this location. As the track through the woods is in a very poor state, we tend to drive through the village instead,  stopping for a look at the Laguna Tarelo, where you can reliably see White-headed Ducks. It does seem a bit incongruous to find one of Europe's rarest ducks surrounded by agricultural poly-tunnels & cloches!

White-headed Duck (Spring)

The Salinas at Bonanza can be fantastic for getting close views of many small waders, gulls, terns and of course, Flamingos. It always seems a little bit strange following the sign for the Parque Natural and turning into a salt works. It's interesting to see how this traditional industry of salt-extraction provides such an important habitat for wildlife. There always seem to be one or two evaporation pools which are at just the perfect stage to provide a feast for migrant birds. A particular speciality of the site is Slender-billed Gulls, although these are at their best when viewed in the Spring to get their lovely pinkish breeding plumage.

 This autumn, the dry conditions in the surrounding area seemed to have made the Salinas a magnet for all manner of waders, including Dunlin, Knots, Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Kentish & Little-ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshanks, Spotted Redshanks and even a pair of Red-necked Phalarope. We also spotted two Ospreys, both dining on their own fishy catches. With a bit of patience I finally got a shot I've always wanted - showing both an Osprey and a Flamingo.

Osprey & Greater Flamingo

Behind the Salinas, is a large lagoon & pumping stations - which is always absolutely packed with birds. As well as more of the waders seen on the main Salinas, there were Sandpipers, lots of Spoonbill and White Storks and a small number of Black Storks. This is also a  good place to see Kingfishers, who often fish off the weir, and Little Terns plunging into the out-flow from the pump for small fish.

Sunday Shortie Spotting

Wouldn't you just know it; Saturday was beautiful, sunny and clear all day, but we were stuck in most of the day due to having some plumbing work done. And today when we are free, the weather has been misty, grey & cold!

Walking the dogs this morning, Louise came across some slightly more exotic visitors than the usual garden & woodland species; a pair of Little Egrets. Although they're no longer a particularly rare sighting, it's always odd to see birds which we'd normally expect to find on our Spanish trips on a small steam running through a council estate in the middle of Swindon! If only the weather was more like Spain, too...

In spite of the rather miserable conditions, this afternoon I decided to chance another trip to Salisbury Plains in search of the elusive Short-Eared Owls. There wasn't quite as much to be seen today as when I visited earlier in the week, and much less raptor activity.  Even the local Kestrel was looking more inclined to perch up on the hawthorns than to hunt.

After staking out the owls' favourite valley for some time, we were rewarded with brief appearances by two of them. We only got quite distant views of the birds flying along the brow of the hill - apparently moving from one roost to another. They certainly weren't actively hunting, and the second bird was being harassed by several of the local rooks. Still, it was good to at least get a look at the owls. I'll pop back along later in the week for another go!

As with earlier in the week, there were good numbers of Fieldfares & Redwings, Stonechats and Goldfinches - as well as a group of buntings roosting up for the night inside one of the hawthorn bushes.

Just as we were leaving, a beautiful female Hen Harrier came gliding down the valley, passing very close to us. It's always a pleasure to see these fantastic birds - and it was certainly today's highlight.


Hen Harrier - Ringtail

Confused Grebes and waterfowl galore

Finally, a dry day with some actual sunshine! I spent a few hours visiting two of our local Country Parks; Lydiard Park and Coate Water. Both are on the edges of Swindon, and heavily used by families, runners, dog walkers and so on - but that doesn't stop them being home to a good range of wildlife. 

When we first lived in Swindon, the lake at Lydiard was almost completely silted up with a 100 years worth of muck, but after extensive work back in 2007,  the 18th century landscape features have been restored. It's one of my favourite spots for photographing grebes and other waterfowl, as it's easy to get down for a water-level view.

Great Crested Grebe

This morning, there were plenty of Tufted ducks dabbling around, alongside the resident pair of Mutes Swans and their 4 signets from last season, plus Little Grebes, Moorhens & Coots. It's also a good place for woodland birds; this morning the main sightings were a Great Crested Woodpecker, an entertaining flock of Long-tailed Tits,  Mistle Thrush, as well as Blue Tits, Coal Tits & Great Tits.

The main Lake at Coate Water was originally created as a Headwater tank for the Wiltshire & Berkshire Canal in the 1820's. A smaller lake, now a Nature Reserve, was added in the 1970's. Most of the area is now a SSSI, largely due to the wildflower meadows - a real haven for butterflies & bees in the summer. Both lakes attract a wide range of wintering waterfowl, and the park is also home to a wide range of woodland species - so I'm a regular visitor at anytime of year. Today, I was glad of my wellies - everywhere is thick mud & deep puddles!

There's currently a large group of at least 24 Goosanders wintering on the main lake, although they're hard to get a close view of, as they are quite shy & prefer to stick to the inaccessible areas. I managed to get a few shots as one obliged with a fly past! 

Goosander - Male

Lots of other waterfowl around too; Little Grebes, Canada Geese, Tufted Ducks, Gadwalls, Cormorants, Mute Swans & 10 Great Crested Grebes.
One pair of Grebes seemed to have been rather confused by the mild weather & today's sunshine, as they were displaying their courtship head-weaving 'dance'. The earliest I've seen signs of this behaviour in the past has been around the second week of February.

Great Crested  Grebes 'dancing'

A large flock of 100+ Lapwings flew over - presumably they'd been feeding on some of the surrounding fields.

Lapwings

Plenty of woodland bird activity too - Green  and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, more Long-tailed, Blue & Great Tits, plus a Marsh Tit. A Grey Wagtail & a pair of Pied Wagtails looked to be having a good time flitting about.

All in all, a pleasant way to spend a morning - let's hope we get a decent weekend!

Andalucian adventures - watching the autumn migration part 1

Southern Spain is a great location for birdwatching at any time of year, but things get especially exciting during the peak spring & autumn migration periods. Hundreds of thousands of birds pass through to  cross the Straits of Gibraltar on their way to wintering grounds in Africa. It's a wonderful opportunity to see raptors in huge numbers - particularly if the Levante winds are blowing, keeping the birds piling up in the area, waiting for an opportunity to cross. The sunshine, beautiful scenery and delicious food & drink are an added bonus!

We generally visit for at least a week in early September each year.There is always something new to see - and the never ending quest for the perfect photos, of course! I grew up just outside Cadiz, so a visit to the area is like a trip home for me - always friends to catch up with, and favourite haunts to revisit. Every year, we plan to spend at least a day or two just relaxing on the beach, but with so many excellent wildlife spots in the area, somehow it never quite happens.

We've got a number of regular sites where we spend a lot of our time, but we are still finding new ones - with a little help from local friends.

Before I describe our trip, a word of advice if you are planning your own bird-watching visit to the area; invest in fully comprehensive insurance for your hire car! Most of the best birding sites are only accessible via very rough, unpaved tracks, to the detriment of the poor little rental cars. We've done major cosmetic damage on several previous occasions, but this year we managed to destroy the sump, necessitating a change of car. Needless to say, it didn't put us off - we were back down the same track the very next day.

'Very Dangerous' track!!

The search for Shorties

The horrendous weather has had me going a bit stir-crazy over the last few days. So, as the clouds lifted for a couple of hours this afternoon, I decided to head out to the Salisbury Plains to see if I could track down the elusive Short Eared owls. Friends have reliably had some good sightings of 8-11 birds hunting up & down one valley, but somehow we've managed to miss them so far this winter.  Reasoning that the birds should be very active after several days of torrential rain, I was hopeful that today might just be the day.

Despite huge amounts of standing water everywhere, there was plenty of wildlife in evidence. On route to the owl sight, I passed a large concentration of hares in one field, with one group of 6, plus a pair close by.  A small herd of Fallow Deer were also grazing further back in the same field.

Lots of birds to be seen, too - good numbers of Field Fares, Redwings and Goldfinch, as well as a nicely coloured-up pair of Stonechats.

While driving on, I had some good views of the resident Buzzards, as well as hunting male Merlin, and a number of Kestrels, plus a distant male Harrier. All this raptor activity built up my hopes that I might just be lucky with a Shortie sighting!

Kestrel hovering

Perched Kestrel

The weather had other ideas, however. Just as I was nearing the main owl sight, the skies darkened & the heavens opened once more. Stopping for a quick scan along the valley, I had one Kestrel stoop on a vole only feet from where I was standing. In any other conditions it would have been a cracking full-frame shot, but the light levels were incredibly low. 

Close encounter of the Kestrel kind,  un-cropped. 

Just before sunset, a commotion amongst a large mixed flock of corvids (mainly Rooks) had me frantically scanning the skyline to see what had put them up. I got very excited when I spotted what appeared to be a wild Goshawk hunting along the ridge, wheeling & swooping upon a flock of  Field Fares. 'Fantastic', I thought, pulse rate rocketing! However, just as I was getting lined up for a shot or ten, I spotted the falconer who was flying the bird - so not a wild sighting after all!


 Heading home, I was surprised to see another 6 hares had appeared in a neighbouring field - the population is obviously doing very well! I also passed a group of 3 Roe Deer lying down among the dead grass. The elusive owls may not have put in an appearance, but I'm certainly not going to complain.