Friday 14th March 2008
One bird I always love to hear is a Cetti’s warbler.....and there always seems to be one near the reed bed at Keyhaven. Today was no exception.....I was no sooner out of the car when I heard it....sweet, sweet music to my ears. I wish I could live near a reed bed, full of cettis, reed and sedge warblers......that would be paradise for me.
Typical of the Cettis to let me hear it, but not let me see it... I went to get the binoculars to have a look for it, and that’s when I realised I had made a mistake!! I had picked up the wrong bag from home. Instead of a bag with the camera, binoculars and a few other bits and pieces.... I had picked up Ian’s work bag, with an empty coffee flask and a half eaten sarnie!!! Just as well I have a good sense of humour.....unfortunately Ian does not!!!!
So we set out in silence, to walk the sea wall to Pennington marshes, and hopefully see some birds. Five minutes later the rain started......it was going to be one of those days!! At least I had a hood on my jacket...........Poor Ian, his raincoat was in the bag, which was in our house, a forty-five minute drive away!!! Oh well, it was only a bit of drizzle so we carried on....
Despite the weather, it was a very enjoyable walk.....hardly another person in sight, just the sights and sounds of the birds....
mergansers
reed buntings
spotted redshanks
whimbrel
black-tailed godwits
shovelers (lots)
pintail
teal
mallards
oystercatchers
lapwings
great crested grebes
shelducks
curlew
meadow pipits
various gulls
greenshank
crows
blackbirds
We noticed the dead tree by the jetty (keyhaven side) had been blown down, probably in the storm earlier in the week, and was broken up and washed up on the defence wall. Looks like the Peregrine will have to find somewhere else to sit.....
Walking back to the car via the inland road, the weather became very misty and murky....... Ian said, all we needed was a Barn Owl to complete the scene. No sooner had he uttered those words, when just like magic, a Barn Owl appeared in the field beside us!! We watched as it flew along the edge of the field, across the gravel path and out of sight......
I was so delighted, a beautiful Barn Owl to add to the year list..
109. greenshank
110. barn owl
Showing posts with label Barn Owl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barn Owl. Show all posts
Sunday, 16 March 2008
Saturday, 22 December 2007
Barn Owl again......
Saturday 22nd December 2007
I was able to lighten the background of the photos of the Barn Owl, and even though they aren't that good, I've decided to put them up.
Smashing bird..... hope I get to see it again next week......
I was able to lighten the background of the photos of the Barn Owl, and even though they aren't that good, I've decided to put them up.
Smashing bird..... hope I get to see it again next week......
Friday, 21 December 2007
Barn Owl, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker + Brambling.......
Friday 21st December 2007
I've just had the most brilliant time in Stockbridge and the surrounding areas today.
The idea was to try and find some Grey legged Partridges, but on the way, I saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes, I have wanted to see one for the past eighteen months, I was delighted.
Later on, driving down a country lane, I flushed lots of small birds from the trees and the verges. I stopped the car to see if there were any Brambling amongst them........and yes, there were quite a few. Unfortunately the light was very bad today and the photos were only silhouettes of the birds, so not much good.
We saw lots of birds, but no sign of the Partridges, so we decided to call it a day and go to Stockbridge for a cuppa. I was driving up the main street looking for somewhere to park, when I noticed lots of starlings overhead.
I turned into Longstock Road and pulled into the layby beside the River Test, where we sat and watched the starlings.........a couple of thousand of them. I was just thinking what an enjoyable day it had been, when I noticed something in the field next to the layby..........a Barn Owl!!!!!!!!!!! I grabbed the camera and jumped out of the car. It was only 4:15 and there was still some daylight left, though not much. An elderly man came over to see what we were looking at, and then a police car pulled up to see what was going on...........
It really was quite something, with a couple of thousand starlings flying over us and the barn owl flying in the field next to us. I guess it was there for fifteen minutes or so and when it went out of sight, I looked up to see the starlings, but they had all gone as well.
On the down side, the photos I took are very disappointing. There was only one I considered posting on the blog, but even it was mostly black and the barn owl was hardly noticeable. I'm going to try and get back to Stockbridge sometime next week, so lets hope I get to see that Owl again..........
151. lesser spotted woodpecker
152. brambling
153. barn owl
I've just had the most brilliant time in Stockbridge and the surrounding areas today.
The idea was to try and find some Grey legged Partridges, but on the way, I saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes, I have wanted to see one for the past eighteen months, I was delighted.
Later on, driving down a country lane, I flushed lots of small birds from the trees and the verges. I stopped the car to see if there were any Brambling amongst them........and yes, there were quite a few. Unfortunately the light was very bad today and the photos were only silhouettes of the birds, so not much good.
We saw lots of birds, but no sign of the Partridges, so we decided to call it a day and go to Stockbridge for a cuppa. I was driving up the main street looking for somewhere to park, when I noticed lots of starlings overhead.
I turned into Longstock Road and pulled into the layby beside the River Test, where we sat and watched the starlings.........a couple of thousand of them. I was just thinking what an enjoyable day it had been, when I noticed something in the field next to the layby..........a Barn Owl!!!!!!!!!!! I grabbed the camera and jumped out of the car. It was only 4:15 and there was still some daylight left, though not much. An elderly man came over to see what we were looking at, and then a police car pulled up to see what was going on...........
It really was quite something, with a couple of thousand starlings flying over us and the barn owl flying in the field next to us. I guess it was there for fifteen minutes or so and when it went out of sight, I looked up to see the starlings, but they had all gone as well.
On the down side, the photos I took are very disappointing. There was only one I considered posting on the blog, but even it was mostly black and the barn owl was hardly noticeable. I'm going to try and get back to Stockbridge sometime next week, so lets hope I get to see that Owl again..........
151. lesser spotted woodpecker
152. brambling
153. barn owl