Pete Lewis
Member
At the Flashes 14.35--16.35 today: beautiful winter sunshine but all of first and second flashes frozen so not a lot there except 15 Moorhens and 12 Coots grazing the grass down around the main hide. Two Buzzards socialising in an oak; smallish (presumed male) Peregrine in southernmost mast----this flew to catch up with a larger passing Peregrine (presumed female) at one point, flew above it and swooped down to it to acknowledge presence, then returned to mast. Only brief signs of Barn Owl after sun had dipped below horizon: flying within the ruined part of the barn at 15.37, flying up from fence just below barn and back into barn 16.10 as a woman approached, peering at the woman from top of barn as she peered at it at 16.13 then no further sign. The 'Upton Warren Eleven' returned to roost 16.30: Upton Warren must be one of the best sites in the country to get prolonged, close views of Curlews-- let's hope in a few years they are still to be seen here like this and it's not a case of "Remember when we used to see Curlews? What a wonderful bird they were"