Wolverton Hen Harrier makes stunning viewing

Hen Harrier proved to be a stuggle for the bridge camera

                                              A visit in better light

                                            Gloomy late afternoon 

Red indicates walk from village (very muddy, park by village hall)

Yellow is field most often seen

Blue is field seems to be second favoured field

Pick indicates wider circuit observed

Local birding continues to throw up some nice opportunities. It's been a decent winter to date with the White-fronts, Hawfinches & Crossbills all within a very short drive and more importantly lots of open space.

I've made two visits up to Wolverton where a ring-tail Hen Harrier has been discovered in some fantastic habitat. The ring-tail has been giving some fantastic viewing opportunities from across the meadow in which it has been hunting. The bird on occasions does undertake a much larger circuit but always returns to the same area. With the bird staying loyal to the area there appears to be a stream of admirers visiting the area and from my evidence all were behaving very well and giving the bird plenty of room.

The local birds certainly had a shock when the harrier has appeared above them, I witnessed Snipe, Meadow Pipit & a Stonechat all make hasty departures. Other birds observed include Raven, Buzzard, Redwing, Fieldfare & a male Peregrine whilst other birders have recorded Barn Owl, Redpoll, Kingfisher & Tree Sparrow. 

Hen Harrier at Upton Warren

    

Hen Harrier video

 Near side posing

 Flight shot

 Prefered perching spot

Spotted again

With a long weekend booked I thought I'd try the pits first but sadly again there was very little to see, 3 Pochard & 2 Grey Wagtail the only birds of note.

I then headed across to Upton Warren which was well timed as a Hen Harrier had been discovered in the time I was driving over. As I headed down to the Flashes a couple of the locals reported it had flown towards the north but experience said to stick with the plan as often birds return to same area.

After a pleasant catch up in the hide and watching six snipe feed on the far side everything lifted from the lagoons as the ring tail Hen Hen Harrier flew across the reeds. After perching for a short while this striking bird of prey look flight again flushing everything and flying low across the water and right in front of the hide to please the awaiting auidence. The bird departed south over the farm after showng well for an hour. A great start to the weekend.

Cotswold Harriers & Owls

Shortie as dusk

Ring-tailed Hen Harrier

Short-eared Owl

Skylark

Shortie

Golden Plover

Team Axe

Championship winner (did not feel like it the next morning and then some) !

Alternative birding

First snow drops of spring

Last weekend I was recovering from a very random night out axe throwing in Birmingham on the Friday. I didn’t actually feel back to normal until Monday. I started off by doing my first Willow Tit survey at Hewell Grange Prison. As expected the return was zero but I did record a female Goosander, 4 Greater Spotted & a Green Woodpecker, a Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Grebe, 9 Tufties, 2 Shoveler, 2 LBBG, 3 Grey Heron & 100 Canada Geese.

In the afternoon, the Squire and I, headed to north Cotswold for a bit of owling. The weekends weather had been bleak, wet and windy so I fancied our chances given the calm conditions. We were surprised not to see any Red Kites on our journey which was a shame but as soon as we parked up a Short-eared owl was hunting the field in front of us. No matter how many times as you see them, they are so stunning to watch as they swoop & dive to feed in the long grass. We recorded three Shorties in the air at the same time whilst a local informed us there were actually four in residence. Whilst we were counting the Shorties I picked up a ring-tailed Hen Harrier come straight across the field and then started quartering looking for a kill. Seeing a Hen Harrier at any time is a special moment and one that I personally cherish. To watch the Harrier in the air with the Shorties in the stunning light was certainly making the most of the day off. All we needed next was for the local Barn Owl to appear, and as if on cue, the owl appeared and showed beautifully for the next hour. After taking a short walk for a different angle a second ring tail swooped in from behind us, a much lighter bird, and hunted the field with the longer habitat in front of us. Additional sightings included Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, 6 Golden Plover & 2 Stonechat.

Black Grouse & much more at World's End

I had been determined to book a couple of Fridays off work but the slow start to spring & being stacked out with projects had made it more difficult that normal. This week I was going to be sticking to the plan whatever, so arrangements were put in place to head to Wales with the Squire. The alarm was set for a staggering 3am leaving the midlands at 4am. Motorway closures either side of the part of the M6 we used ensured a smooth passage ensuring we arrived as the sun began to rise.

The bubbling noises of Black Grouse greeted us from our parking space that we were lucky to get as more birders & photographers arrived. This was the first time Paul had seen Black Grouse and we got a wonderful display in fantastic weather. With the more dominant males in the centre of the lek, the birds on the outside dared not stray into the arena for more than a few seconds before retreating quickly. There were around 30 red blooded Grouse but it was difficult to get an exact count as birds were hidden whilst a few left the lek before returning. If you ever visit yourself you need to sit quietly in your car whilst the lek is in progress and be quiet. Under no circumstances get out of your car !

After enjoying the Black Grouse for about ninety minutes the birds had departed so we headed further north to a couple of locations I had visited before. Travelling over the moor I picked up a distant raptor and after quickly parking up we jumped out where there were two Hen Harriers, a male & a ringtail. Absolutely stunning, there really can't be many better sights. At the same location we also recorded a Sparrowhawk & a distant Goshawk, quite a start to the day.

While we could hear the Red Grouse we wanted a perfect view for Paul to record his 13th lifer of the year. Suddenly Paul slammed his brakes on as he spotted a Red Grouse sitting tight in the heather. The colours of birds neck were just majestic. 

We were determined to find our first Wheatear of the year however it took until late morning when we found four on the top of Horseshoe Pass. Other sightings Chiffchaff, Snipe, Stonechat, Curlews and at our final stop we found a flock of calling Crossbills however we only managed to see the females well. 

An epic day out and we safely back home by 5pm very tired but still ready for a good weekend of birding ahead.

Eagles & Harriers North Uist & journey through Isle of Skye - Scotland trip (Day 4)

Much improved conditions on day four

Corn Buntings

Stunning Starling

The Captain on Coot patrol

Looking over the lochs

Piles of kelp washed up

Common Gull

Hen Harrier

White-tailed Eagle

Black Grouse honest…...

Close up…..

Waterfalls were abundant

Eilean Donan Castle

Five Sisters - Isle of Skye

With the forecast looking poor for the following day we decided to change our plan and leave the island that afternoon for Skye but maximise the morning window of opportunity for good birding. Balranald was first stop again where we didn't have any luck with the Coot's but there was a drake Pintail & four Whoopers on the loch. 

The Corn Buntings were very visible all morning so I managed to get a nice shot of those but the Twite were on the move too much for my photography skills. We had another session watching the waders on the shoreline before heading for a slow lap of the island hoping to find something different despite there still being strong winds.

The next beach we passed was occupied by a small group of Bar-tailed Godwits whilst our first star bird find was a male Hen Harrier that I picked up to the left of a difficult coastal road. Once the Captain found a safe place to park we both got some fantastic views of the Harrier.

A few miles further down the road the Captain took a diversion hoping we might just find another raptor given we had now seen a Kestrel & a Hen Harrier. His intuition proved spot on as we found two White-tailed Eagles. They were sitting on top of the sand dunes clearly not enjoying being mobbed by the local Hooded Crows. Both took off showing us their amazing wingspan. We were both delighted and it got even better when a Golden Eagle came into view circling high as we left the island.

The ferry over to Skye was much calmer then expected but to be honest I might not have noticed with the travel sickness tablets I'd taken - no wonder I felt tired. Birds recorded during the journey included 20+ Gannets, 5 Black Guillemot, 12 Kittiwake, 3 Fulmar, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, 5 Shags and four Eider.

Once off the boat we had a seriously long drive ahead to the east coast through some amazing landscapes including the famous Five Sisters. Alongside the A87 I picked up a strange site sitting high in a birch tree, as we past the bird I identified it as a Black Grouse ! We turned the car around instantly and upon closer inspection we actually found three different Black Grouse perched looking out over the valley below them.

With time & light against us we stopped at a bizarre truck stop which was like a scene out of Roadhouse. Let's say we didn't hang around long but the food recharged us to get across Scotland to our hotel in Mussleburgh.