Saturday 23 April 2016

Quiet Times !

Just as I thought migration was gathering pace it seems to have come a full stop !! The last couple of days have been very quiet and despite being out and about I have seen very little.
The only bird to mention for yesterday is a Barn Owl hunting below Hanging Houghton at dusk.
This morning I started the day with an early morning visit to Harrington Airfield where it was dead as a "Dodo". All I saw were 2 Wheatear.
I took Tor agility training at Staverton where the resident pair of Ravens were very vocal. One spent quite a bit of time perched on top of a conifer making all sorts of weird and wonderful noises......or was it just having a laugh at us as we tried to get our dogs to run the course.   A Common Buzzard strayed too close to their nest and both Ravens went in for the "attack" which took place literally over our heads. The Common Buzzard beat a hasty retreat and peace was restored.
Whilst in this part of the world I walked around Borough Hill and Daventry Reservoir and again saw nothing.
A look at Ravensthorpe and Hollowell Reservoirs on my way back home produced nothing. I felt very sorry for a Willow Warbler at Ravensthorpe, one minute it was singing then the next it was killed as it was hit by a car as it tried to cross the road. Such a waste of such a bright and beautiful little bird who had just survived flying thousands of miles.
My best bird of the day was at 15.45hrs as I watched a cream crown Marsh Harrier quartering the rape fields below Hanging Houghton. It disappeared out of sight heading in the general direction of Brixworth.
I suspect that many of the migrants will slow down as the winds have changed to a cold north easterly. But we will see what tomorrow brings.

Regards Eleanor

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