Monday 28 January 2013

Monday 28th January 2013 Monday One to one Guided Birding

Chris guided a One to One exclusive 2 day tour with a specific slant towards raptors on Day one.

The day started well with a quick stop for a lovely hunting Barn Owl. We stopped briefly for a perched small bird of prey, that to my surprise turned into a Merlin with prey, but was on view all too briefly! We reached the NW coast 7 were soon admiring Buzzard & several Marsh Harrier, showing very well & even starting some early territorial display flight. A large female Sparrowhawk shot in & out of view & it wasn't too long before we watching a distant Red Kite, eventually this bird drifted towards & gave fantastic, prolonged views as it soared overhead. 1-2 Kestrel were noted. We had a great morning with blue skies & great views, but by lunch the cloud had arrived & we settled into the minibus to look for other raptors over lunch. Our luck continued when a ringtail Hen Harrier passed us, we jumped out the van & had nice scope views.

Another search along the lanes produced another or the same Merlin, but again the bird was cruising quickly & disappeared within seconds. A quick stop off elsewhere produced several Yellowhammer & 16 Corn Bunting.

We finished the day at a roost site & were treated to 5 Hen Harrier including a cracking grey male.


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