Marsh Harrier and Short-eared Owls at Elmley NNR

I took a drive down to Elmley this afternoon after work thinkng it's as good a place as any to clear the head after a very hard week of chasing numbers.

I spent two hours there with little to note other than singing Skylarks, Lapwings and a few Redshank before it all kicked off.

First a pair of Marsh Harrier entertained me with the male dropping to the side of the track a few yards form my car allowing a few shots as it feasted before flying off again. A couple of Hares bounced across the field and seven Buzzards soared overhead before the star birds came out to play.
A single Barn Owl and at least six Short-eared Owls flew around the car for the final hour of day light giving me the opportunity to capture some more images of my favourite birds.

If you visit drop a few coins in the honesty box or better still register as a friend of Elmley.

Marsh Harrier

Marsh Harrier at Elmley NNR

Marsh Harrier.....stunning bird!

Short-eared Owl at Elmley NNR

Short-eared Owl 

Pallid Harrier

A few more images from the weekends trip to New Holkham in Norfolk.

Pallid Harrier enjoying the Hares antics below

Pallid

With mouse

With a flushed Merlin

Pallid Harrier

Pallid Harrier at New Holkham Norfolk

Pallid Harrier at New Holkham

The weather forecast was predicting rain for most of the day but with yesterdays reports of Pallid Harrier in New Holkham I was compelled to take the old fella up the A11 in search of his first Pallid Harrier and the bird he had made his main target for 2017.

Pallid Harrier at New Holkham

Pallid Harrier

We arrived at first light and drove down to the parked cars at Blunt's Corner just off the B1105,
Several birders were already set up and one had seen the Harrier but it was now lost to view but within a few minutes I spotted the bird coming over the fields before it dropped to the ground and wrestled with a catch. Over the next couple of hours the bird would fly over the fields and disappear to our right before coming back into view in front of us. Three Red Kites and three Merlin were also seen with both species interacting with the Harrier at some point.

We moved on to search Holkham Bay for the wintering Shore Larks finding seven birds feeding not far from the end of the boardwalk and we also picked up a year tick when two Cranes circled over the pines before drifting off to the west,

Cranes over Holkham Pines

At Brancaster we picked a few Bar-tailed Godwits out and the drying barns gave up a couple of Grey Partridge for another late year tick. On the way home we stopped at Cockley Cley finding fire point 109 and walking down the track where we found the wintering Great-Grey Shrike along with a Lesser Redpoll to bring the year list to 161.
The Shrike Followed us all the way back to the main road before turning and working its way back into the woods.

Great-Grey Shrike at Cockley Cley

Took a bit of finding!

Barn Owl at the races

A really terrific days birding picking up some good birds along the way and making the best of the days weather.

Glossy Ibis Ely

First stop this morning was Kiln Lane Ely where we parked up and walked down the lane a few hundred yards to view the flooded fields. The first walk along the footpath failed to locate the Ibis that's chosen to over winter in Cambridgeshire. As I walked back the Jims called to say the target was now in view so I stepped up the pace and quickly got on the bird grabbing a few distant shots.

Glossy Ibis at Ely

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis and Glossy Lapwing

Glossy buddies

Glossy in flight

Canada Goose

From Ely we drove across to Santon Downham where a walk down the river was the order of the day.
We were searching for Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers and spent the next three hours listening and looking. A group of corvids grabbed my attention and rewarded me with nice views of a young Goshawk as it flew across the river to escape the attentions of the pack. Three Sparrowhawks and a few Buzzards were seen. Green and Great-spotted Woodpecker called and a single drumming of Lesser-spot was heard but we failed to see or hear anything else in the long session. Siskins, Brambling, Nuthatch, Treecreeper were the other birds seen before we left for home.

Year list now 154

More of the stunning Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Top bird!

Bluethroat at Willow Tree Fen in Lincolnshire

I took the plunge today and drove the 100 miles to the Willow Tree Fen in Lincolnshire in the hope that the sun would shine and the bird would show. On arrival I parked in the small car park having set the sat nav to postcode  PE11 3JH . At 7am I was sitting on the track watching the reed bed on the opposite side of the track. The mud and flat grass area gave a good clue we were waiting in the right area and within half an hour I spotted the bird feeding on the grass opposite us and quickly got the small gathering on it. The bird flew back into the reeds and didn't come back out for about forty minutes by which time we had been joined by another fifty or so birders.

Bluethroat at Willow Tree Fen in Lincolnshire

This was the pattern of the morning with the bird popping out for a minute or so each hour but when it did come out it really did perform well often coming too close for my 400 lens to hit within the focal length. By the time I left the gathering had risen to over a hundred all enjoying crippling views and with most being well behaved although I have to add most being far too loud!

Meal worms had been put out before I arrived and a couple of birders added to the food bank causing some discussion among those present but nothing too heated. The guy offering to play a tape was shot down though and thankfully the bird didn't have to deal with that as well as a hundred people watching it feed.

Locally I found my first Whooper Swan of the year and five Barn Owls. On the way home I found a single Goshawk and Woodlark in the Brecks.

The Bluethroat is only the second British Winter record so what are you waiting for...get up the road and see the little star.

Year list now 151

Bluethroat

A proper little star.

"Showing well"

RIP Tia 2004 - 2017

Tia

The Special One

This man's best friend

Loving the snow last year in Scotland

Simply the best!