Hello
As many as four Barn Owls were circulating around the villages of Hanging Houghton and Lamport this morning - two down in the Brampton Valley as usual, one at Lamport by the crossing and another hunting again in the grass field behind our house!
I couldn't quite work out why the garden was so empty of birds this morning until I noticed that a first year male Sparrowhawk was perched in our low hawthorn hedge. He tried again and again to grab House Sparrows and other birds buried in the depths of the hedge and refused to give up. I assumed it was the bird we had caught and ringed in the garden yesterday and eventually I could see enough of the ring to virtually confirm it. Clearly the fact that he had been caught and ringed the day before didn't put him off coming back and setting up residence in the garden. At one stage I walked out because he seemed to get himself in a bit of a pickle between the fence guard and the hedge but he just glared at me and went on trying to grab a Dunnock. They flew around me but the Dunnock outmaneuvered him and was off! He then flew back and landed in the hedge right next to me and was quite unconcerned at my presence! He continued to crash around in the hedge trying to flush avian prey out but some forty minutes later I saw him leave without a bird in his talons! It took a long time for the buntings and finches to return to the garden.
I think my only other bird of note from the garden today was a 'kronking' Raven but it sounds like this week-end's weather may well provide an opportunity to sit out in the garden and look upwards and pray for one of those wandering White-tailed Eagles to come cruising over! Recent days has seen records of these eagles as close as Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire, with multiple records in SE England...and it seems that at least some of these individuals are not the released birds from the Isle of Wight. With a recent report from Northants (Kings Cliffe) I hope someone else in the county connects soon!
David Arden's garden at Spratton scored again when David found a Black Redstart in his garden and around the house at about 1pm this afternoon...
Regards
Neil M
As many as four Barn Owls were circulating around the villages of Hanging Houghton and Lamport this morning - two down in the Brampton Valley as usual, one at Lamport by the crossing and another hunting again in the grass field behind our house!
I couldn't quite work out why the garden was so empty of birds this morning until I noticed that a first year male Sparrowhawk was perched in our low hawthorn hedge. He tried again and again to grab House Sparrows and other birds buried in the depths of the hedge and refused to give up. I assumed it was the bird we had caught and ringed in the garden yesterday and eventually I could see enough of the ring to virtually confirm it. Clearly the fact that he had been caught and ringed the day before didn't put him off coming back and setting up residence in the garden. At one stage I walked out because he seemed to get himself in a bit of a pickle between the fence guard and the hedge but he just glared at me and went on trying to grab a Dunnock. They flew around me but the Dunnock outmaneuvered him and was off! He then flew back and landed in the hedge right next to me and was quite unconcerned at my presence! He continued to crash around in the hedge trying to flush avian prey out but some forty minutes later I saw him leave without a bird in his talons! It took a long time for the buntings and finches to return to the garden.
I think my only other bird of note from the garden today was a 'kronking' Raven but it sounds like this week-end's weather may well provide an opportunity to sit out in the garden and look upwards and pray for one of those wandering White-tailed Eagles to come cruising over! Recent days has seen records of these eagles as close as Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire, with multiple records in SE England...and it seems that at least some of these individuals are not the released birds from the Isle of Wight. With a recent report from Northants (Kings Cliffe) I hope someone else in the county connects soon!
David Arden's garden at Spratton scored again when David found a Black Redstart in his garden and around the house at about 1pm this afternoon...
Regards
Neil M
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| He came back...the first year male Sparrowhawk. |
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| Black Redstart courtesy of David Arden. Lots of worn, brown feathers (particularly the tertials and primaries) and abraded remiges on this bird. |
2 comments:
Hi Neil,
It's old Warbler here, if I ever catch you spelling the Isle of Wight "White" again you will be severely disciplined! One of our Eagles has been in Oxfordshire all Winter and is probably one of the two seen together in Bucks two days ago. Three are still on the Island but have been more mobile lately with the sun and high pressure. The Hampshire bird has been around for a while and is a third year imm. Possibly the same individual seen there last year.
It's amazing how they can be so elusive for such a large bird, but as they spend over 90% of the day sitting doing bugger all it's maybe not so surprising! I was very privileged to be part of the team that helped this scheme get off the ground, having pre-fabricated the large release aviaries for Roy Dennis, built back in Northants at my forge near Hellidon. The last English breeding Sea Eagles were at Culver Cliff here on the Island in 1785 and the last one was shot at the Needles in 1796, as an Islander it was a special moment to see our first young bird take to the skies back in August.
I have enjoyed reading your Blog every week and I keep in touch with Al Coles, you'll be pleased to hear that I twitched the Dipper before lockdown! If this had occurred last year I would now have Gt Spotted Cuckoo and Serin on my garden "Lockdown list" !
All the very best to yourself, Eleonor and all the old gang, Pete Campbell
Hi Pete
Thanks very much for your comment and my apologies for the Wight issue! Well done for your input in getting these south coast eagles established - particularly if they come visiting Northamptonshire! Happy Birding and keep looking up!
Neil M
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