This is new ground for me and my very first posting. I am hoping to build this blog into the future and share some things that are close to my heart. I hope that I can post what others find interesting and also useful.
Apart from birding I will be adding posts on photography, links to other blogs, and i hope lots of interesting stuff !
" Anyway enough about me " ! Lets look at some birds !
1st January 2013. Fylde area Lancashire.
The first day of any new year is a busy day for lots of Birdwatchers, its the start of a new year and therefore new birding lists. Its a mad rush for some to get off to a good start, its a ritual its a bit of fun.
Myself I had been watching the Fylde bird club sightings report and some interesting birds had been seen in the Pilling, Garstang, Fleetwood area.
Towards the end of 2012 i had been given some good information by 3 Fylde birders ...Phil West, George and Kevin ( statler and waldorf), about possible Short eared Owls and possible Harriers hunting in a certain area.
This was my choice of location and I arrived early, as i pulled into the lay-by I glanced over to my far left and i could make out in the distance a Short Eared Owl hunting over the rough arable field....I hadn't even switched the engine off. I watched for a minute before loosing sight beyond the far hedgerow. Topping up my travel mug from my flask i scanned the fields around me. Within 10 minutes of being out of the car i glanced over the same field where i had seen the SEO, and for a moment I thought the bird had returned....but as i raised my bins and focused i could see a graceful female Hen Harrier was floating over the rough grass. I raised my camera in the hope of a record shot but shooting a brown distant bird against a brown/grey background was never going to work....never mind. Two quality raptors in under 20 minutes...we are doing well !
Phil West pulled in at the side and i took great delight in telling him what he had just missed....yes... i am very kind like that !
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Phil noticed quite a way off in front of us that a large flock of Lapwings had risen off the ground, he also suspected that maybe we had more bird activity a couple of fields beyond us....but we had to drive about 3 miles to get to this point...we did.
Arriving at the new area i noticed the light was better from here...and we picked up a few Grey Partridge and the odd Greylag goose. We were lucky when we got a fly-by Peregrine Falcon and caught a Song Thrush and 2 Pied Wagtails.
Scanning with the scope i picked up a distant white blob on a fence post..Phil was 70-80 yards to my right...I gestured to him that i had a probable Barn owl...he gestured back at me to stay low and keep low behind the hedgerow that we were both using as cover....i crept over and he had a Barn Owl hunting just in front of him....it came closer ...and then a tad closer...perfect....beautiful.
We rattled off lots of shots and as the Owl drifted away we compared shots...smiling at our good fortune.
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We had a few minutes scanning around us picking up Meadow pipits and distant Buzzards. After a short while we both focused on a flock of 20 gulls slowly descending from the north towards us....one bird at the rear of the flock looking very un gull like....as the gulls carried on south the rear bird started to drift over the fields to our right....like a prima ballerina....gliding and floating with the greatest of ease.....a male Hen harrier....Glorious..superb...choose your own superlative...
Not as kind as the Barn owl we managed decent shots....it was now 11am...i had had some of the best raptors in england and some decent photographs as well.....roll on 2013 !
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| Male Hen harrier.Click for larger view. |
One of the most precious birds for most birdwatchers to observe is the Hen Harrier....difficult to track and find and also in terrible decline...sightings are rare ! The female is brown and a beautiful bird but the male is stricking, pale grey with a white ring around the rump....wing tips look like they are dipped in ink....they are probably one of most sought after sightings for any birder.
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