Surprise Barn Owl & Birding on Patch

Jackie and I traveled up to Salisbury on Monday (22nd) but on our return I decided to take a cross country route home.  Our first stop was at Wyke Down, it was pretty quiet though we had a Peregrine sat out in the middle of one field and a Buzzard was close by in a small tree.  We watched from our parking spot for a while and we we started to see other species, Stonechat in the rough grass opposite us, Pheasants, Magpie, Crows then both Jackie and I heard a short cackle, Fieldfare in fact around thirty birds flew right over the car .

After a while we continued on seeing more Fieldfare and Blackbirds, then Jackie picked up a falcon perched in a tree stopping we realised it was a Kestrel and I found two Red-legged Partridge sheltering under the edge of the wood.  We traveled further along the road to another location where we used to like to stop and listen to drumming Snipe several years ago and sadly not anymore.  As we arrived there was a photographer waiting and Jackie then noticed a Barn Owl quartering the meadow.  So obviously we waited and watched it for sometime but just as we were thinking of leaving it flew directly towards us I grabbed the camera and jumped out of the car and as she passed took a couple of shots.  We decided to wait and see if she would return back past us, and eventually she did but she took us by surprise.  I managed a couple more shots as she passed but the evening light was going and I have to say the results I had were totally luck as I didn't check the camera settings I just upped and took a few shots.

First pass of possibly a female Barn Owl © Nick Hull

One of the later shots as she returned passing us she took a glance as
she passed © Nick Hull

As she notices me or may have heard the shutters sound she turned away
slightly © Nick Hull

Birding on Patch - 23rd January
Birding the home patch and showing others around that patch is always a little worrying somehow as you know the patch is good and can turn up surprises even in the winter.  As you will know the weather wasn't good the forecast was overcast with 90% chance of rain.  As the group arrived it was dry but as I started to lead them out to the bay it started to drizzle, by the time we reached the bay it was blowing across the bay in heavy gusts, so we took shelter by the trees which at least broke the wind. Ann picked up two birds feeding on birch catkins and on checking them out they were obviously two Lesser Redpoll.  A species that is usually recorded as flyovers during migration times, not a bad start considering.  We walked back through the wood and picked up many of the usual garden species which you would expect in a semi urban area and we picked up Jackie who joined us for the rest of the walk. Walking towards Border Drive and Chad Copse we continued adding the commoner species Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Starlings and the local pair of Magpie, Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tits  and several singing Dunnock and the local House Sparrows.  A Sparrowhawk whizzed over scattering a large charm of Goldfinch and a handful of Greenfinch a species that is just hanging on here.

Spoonbill Lytchett Bay © Nick Hull

As we walked through Chad Copse there was a another noisy flock of Goldfinch feeding in the alders and we heard the squealing of a Water Rail.  I then found one then two swimming into cover in the copse a few of the group managed to get a rear view just before they disappeared.  As we turned to move on I noticed another behind us but at the same moment it flew up the path and into the wood out of sight. Out on the sports field there was a flock of Black-headed Gulls with a number of Oystercatchers.  On reaching the foreshore path looking over the bay the rain stopped and the visibility improved.  Scanning the bay we picked up the usual waterfowl, Wigeon, Teal and Mallard on Lytchett point we added Canada Goose and Redshank.  Over on Turlin Point Cormorant and more Oystercatchers, both Jackie and I heard the 'choo choo choo' of a Greenshank but couldn't locate it. Further out in the bay off Turlin Point we found a group of Red-breasted Merganser and Christine then picked up what she thought was two Spoonbill which turned out to be three roosting on Otter Island.  B

Best of all was probably the Harbour Seal which Ben spotted just off shore, right in front of us. A scarce visitor to the bay but as we were watching a few Black-headed Gull swooped down towards it and the seal launch itself upwards towards the closest bird to a height approximately half its body out of the water, the gull gained height quickly before it became lunch.

Ringtail Hen Harrier from Two Owls archive © Nick Hull

The morning wasn't over as we were wondering where the seal was going to resurface all the the Wildfowl took flight which included a flock of approximately sixty Avocet which had been unseen up to now.  The cause of this was soon apparent a ringtail Hen Harrier crossed the bay and the point and quickly disappearing behind the wood but after a short while returned again giving better views as it quartered the Lytchett point and unsettled the wildfowl again. Curlew and Redshank lifted off before the harrier moved away towards the west of the bay out of sight.

Our return walk was fairly uneventful until we reach the cars when I picked up a Grey Wagtail outside our house which ending our walk very nicely.