Jos Stratford
Beast from the East
I thought you'd been neglecting this thread 
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Up the Hill (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter delia todd
- Start date
Ten turbines now with another in the process of being erected.
I'd no sooner stoppped the car when I saw the male Hen Harrier hunting.
The stubble field has a large flock of finches, as usual mostly Chaffinch with some Brambling and Linnet mixed in.
The loch has come to life again, with at least 10 Mallard, a pair of Tufted Duck and a Little Grebe.
D
I'd no sooner stoppped the car when I saw the male Hen Harrier hunting.
The stubble field has a large flock of finches, as usual mostly Chaffinch with some Brambling and Linnet mixed in.
The loch has come to life again, with at least 10 Mallard, a pair of Tufted Duck and a Little Grebe.
D
joannec
Well-known member
Really stunning birds aren't they Delia....gotta be one of my favourites.:t:
Joanne
mmmm.. they certainly are. I feel so lucky having one on my patch when there are so few up here.
D
I do believe the birds think spring is on its way now.
However, when I first arrived on site there was hardly anything to see... 1 Rook (this one later turned into a hundred or more) and 1 male Pheasant. Then the stubble field became alive with Skylarks - hundreds of them. Singing their heads off too. Chaffinches singing at the forest edge as well.
Sat beside the loch for a while - no sign of Mallards today but could just make out the Dabchick hiding in the reeds and four Oystercatchers now arrived.
Scoping in the far distance I caught a very brief glimpse of the male Hen Harrier which put up a huge flock of Lapwings. I jumped back in the car and headed off to get a bit closer but no further sightings.
Now 14 turbines erected.
D
However, when I first arrived on site there was hardly anything to see... 1 Rook (this one later turned into a hundred or more) and 1 male Pheasant. Then the stubble field became alive with Skylarks - hundreds of them. Singing their heads off too. Chaffinches singing at the forest edge as well.
Sat beside the loch for a while - no sign of Mallards today but could just make out the Dabchick hiding in the reeds and four Oystercatchers now arrived.
Scoping in the far distance I caught a very brief glimpse of the male Hen Harrier which put up a huge flock of Lapwings. I jumped back in the car and headed off to get a bit closer but no further sightings.
Now 14 turbines erected.
D
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Aaah! I'm really not too sure Joanne.
I saw both at the beginning of November but not again until the middle of February when I saw the male. If I hadn't been scoping in the right place at the right time yesterday I wouldn't have seen him at all.
The road is such that I can't always risk driving it through these months (very hilly and twisty and doesn't get gritted as it's not on a bus route). This means I just have to pick my days for a visit and it's then just luck, I think, if I manage to see him.
D
I saw both at the beginning of November but not again until the middle of February when I saw the male. If I hadn't been scoping in the right place at the right time yesterday I wouldn't have seen him at all.
The road is such that I can't always risk driving it through these months (very hilly and twisty and doesn't get gritted as it's not on a bus route). This means I just have to pick my days for a visit and it's then just luck, I think, if I manage to see him.
D
OK,I won,t mention the American Wigeon then.:t:
No, please don't Henry... you'll just upset me again:cat:
Lovely sunny day today but a really cold wind.
The Skylarks were even more vocal. A couple of Jackdaws flew out of the stubble (first ones I've seen for a bit).
Down at the loch, a Heron was hunting in the long grass, the Mallards (or rather 4 of them) have returned, along with a Moorhen, but the Oystercatchers have disappeared. The Dabchick was happily swimming around.
It seems weeks since I last saw a Kestrel but a fine female was hunting over the moor today.
D
Still loads of Skylarks in the stubble, very flighty, but now there are around a dozen singing on the moor. Where are the Chaffinches and Linnets... not a sound from them!
Definitely a pair of Moorhens, now although I can still only see the one Dabchick. Oystercatchers remain on station and beginning their mating dances.
Two Red-legged Partridges wandered out from behind the dyke, saw my car, and shot off - I've not seen them for ages.
A Curlew has arrived... I heard it calling but couldn't see it.
It appears Windmill number 16 is now being erected.
D
Definitely a pair of Moorhens, now although I can still only see the one Dabchick. Oystercatchers remain on station and beginning their mating dances.
Two Red-legged Partridges wandered out from behind the dyke, saw my car, and shot off - I've not seen them for ages.
A Curlew has arrived... I heard it calling but couldn't see it.
It appears Windmill number 16 is now being erected.
D
A bright day but a really cold wind.
Well you have good, bad and average days when you're patch working in an area such as this, today is going down as one of the better ones.
No sign of the stubble Skylarks but later saw a flock of about 20 flyover.
What the heck! :eek!: I thought as I approached the loch two big black things sitting on the island - Cormorants sitting there, with another swimming I noticed. A really unexpected new Patch tick - of all the things I'm hoping to see, I never even thought of them LOL
Just a single Oystercatcher sitting on the causeway (later joined by his three friends). I could hear the Dabchick calling today, a bit muted though, so presume there are two of them. Moorhens busy at both ends of the loch... almost as if they're not talking to each other. Mallards very much a pair though
I stopped on the road beside the stubble field and watched a Curlew fly down into it, no sign of anything else feeding there though. Scanning round I picked up a female Hen Harrier in the far distance near the turbines then lost sight of her.
I moved up a bit further, still beside the stubble though, scanning the moor to try and pick her up again when all of a sudden she appeared beside me hunting over the stubble. She then flew across the road right in front of me.
So in a period of about 15 minutes she'd flown from nearly a mile away in a big loop to re-appear behind me, continuing on to complete the circle. Enjoyed that!
D
Well you have good, bad and average days when you're patch working in an area such as this, today is going down as one of the better ones.
No sign of the stubble Skylarks but later saw a flock of about 20 flyover.
What the heck! :eek!: I thought as I approached the loch two big black things sitting on the island - Cormorants sitting there, with another swimming I noticed. A really unexpected new Patch tick - of all the things I'm hoping to see, I never even thought of them LOL
Just a single Oystercatcher sitting on the causeway (later joined by his three friends). I could hear the Dabchick calling today, a bit muted though, so presume there are two of them. Moorhens busy at both ends of the loch... almost as if they're not talking to each other. Mallards very much a pair though
I stopped on the road beside the stubble field and watched a Curlew fly down into it, no sign of anything else feeding there though. Scanning round I picked up a female Hen Harrier in the far distance near the turbines then lost sight of her.
I moved up a bit further, still beside the stubble though, scanning the moor to try and pick her up again when all of a sudden she appeared beside me hunting over the stubble. She then flew across the road right in front of me.
So in a period of about 15 minutes she'd flown from nearly a mile away in a big loop to re-appear behind me, continuing on to complete the circle. Enjoyed that!
D
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Brosnabirder
Well-known member
Hi Delia,
Enjoying your thread. Too few places with moorland waders like your patch over here these days.
Do the Harriers habitually hunt near the turbines do you know? When you say close how close do you mean?
You've probably heard the theory that Harriers won't hunt anywhere near turbines. Some recent research here suggests they do sometimes hunt near working turbines in one area in Co. Clare at least. Would be great if they would as it seems the turbines will be built regardless. Yours probably aren't turning yet which might make a difference.
From a fellow Harrier fan.
Enjoying your thread. Too few places with moorland waders like your patch over here these days.
Do the Harriers habitually hunt near the turbines do you know? When you say close how close do you mean?
You've probably heard the theory that Harriers won't hunt anywhere near turbines. Some recent research here suggests they do sometimes hunt near working turbines in one area in Co. Clare at least. Would be great if they would as it seems the turbines will be built regardless. Yours probably aren't turning yet which might make a difference.
From a fellow Harrier fan.
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joannec
Well-known member
It's experiences like that, that really make a day. I do patch work too; on Ashdown Forest and had a similar experience.....saw a large raptor in the distance, thought it was a HH but it was too far away to be sure. It was high for a change....I lost site of it, then half an hour later there it was in front of me! A ringtail! That was last week.....probably the last one I'll see for awhile.
Joanne
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