With my brother celebrating his birthday today we decided we'd have a good day out birding and lined up a run up the M11/A14/A1 into Lincs. We arrived at Deeping lakes for first light this morning and walked out to the hide searching for a year tick in the shape of Long-eared Owl, a bird we didn't see at all last year. Four Goosanders and a Bullfinch were the highlights as we searched in vain for the Owl until I decided to check out the areas around the poo stained branches and bingo I had the LEO in the bins and managed to get the boys on it along with four other birders that were on site searching. We missed the opportunity to add Barn Owl and Little Owl and made our way up the road to Frampton. The wind was blowing hard now and there was no hiding from it as we walked the whole reserve. Our reward for the effort in challenging conditions was a single year tick with six Ruff seen as we got out of the car. A Peregrine, a Marsh Harrier and an obliging Kestrel were the raptors seen along with large numbers of waders ducks and geese. Six Whoopers were seen before we left but we failed to find the reported Little Stint or Spotted Redshank.
On the way home we took the short diversion to Eldernell where we found three roosting Short-eared Owls and a Glossy Ibis. Great White Egrets were seen as we searched for Cranes. Hundreds of Whooper Swans came and went and we picked out a Ring-tailed Hen Harrier with several Marsh Harriers hunting over the reeds. As the light faded the Cranes started to come in with a group of four then another four and then a larger group. We missed the Barn Owl leave the barn so this remains my top target at this point.
A very enjoyable day if not a little breezy and the year list now sits at 146.
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| No getting away from Brent Geese at the moment |
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| Glossy Ibis at Eldernell |
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| Kestrel at Frampton |
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Long-eared Owl at Deeping lakes |
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| Short-eared Owl at Eldernell |
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