onsdag den 26. oktober 2011

Raptor day

Today (25th October) was a different kind of a morning, the wind whipped across us from the South-East and turning more easterly as the day went by. However the show put on by raptors today was quite impressive.

Whilst setting the nets in half light I flushed both Tengmalm's and Long-eared Owl as well as seeing the says first Sparrowhawks, Rough-legged Buzzards and 3 Red Kites! I quickly erected the Sparrowhawk nets and within 5 minutes a big adult female was in the net.

Passerines were scarce this morning and represented only by a couple of Goldcrest, Blackbirds, Chiffchaffs, Wrens, Robins, Great tit and a few flocks of Chaffinch/Bramblings. Also a scarcity which we caught this morning. 
Firecrest - (Regulus ignicapilla) Juvenile Female.

The next round came and as I had already woken Rune up with the Firecrest he decided to join me rather than returning to bed. It was again a slow round. As we approached the last net we had drawn a blank and then suddenly from no where the Long-Eared Owl I had seen earlier jumped into the net.

Long-Eared Owl - (Asio otus) Juvenile Female.

Apologies for my ugly mug showing up on the blog there but it is a gorgeous bird so I think I'll be forgiven. As the day progressed then we struggled to a catch many more birds. Sparrowhawks and Red kites came over the garden often and a few times I ran towards the nets to see the Red Kites had actually just missed the nets... In total 6 Red Kites, 10 Rough-Legged Buzzards and at least 20 Sparrowhawks today (these are just the birds I saw, most of the time I was busy checking empty nets). Rune took a couple of hours Sea-watching this afternoon as saw around 60 Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minus) along with a possible Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) conditions out there at the point were horrendous today so Rune can be forgiven for not possitively identifying this small wader as it whizzed over the surf through his wobbling telescope lens.

Craig Brookes

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