Great morning, so I'll just briefly cover the highlights. At the Mill Lakes three male Teal were seen displaying to a female - something I've not witnessed before. At least 17 Common Snipe were counted basking in the sun on Mud Island, with a possible Jack Snipe moving amongst them. At the Leen Pastures I filled up the Feeding Station (probably the first time it's been done in over 6 months!) hoping to bring back the Willow Tits that were regularly seen here when in was being maintained. Within five minutes they were back! First came a Robin, then a Chaffinch, then two Willow Tit visited frequently, returning at least once a minute, and were also heard calling - a success! Heading back to the lake, a male Bullfinch was seen hovering for around four seconds alongside a vertical mud bank of the river - something else I've not witnessed before. At the wooden footbridge a Goldcrest was feeding along the fence running down the side of the footpath, seen with good views.
Back at Broad Valley, the stables field was covered in Fieldfare - around 250 birds were feeding on the ground. After counting them, a group of crows were flushed from the second field, then all the Fieldfare took to the wing too. It had to be a Sparrowhawk. Sure enough a female Sparrowhawk came over the hedge and homed in on one of the Fieldfare mimicking each and every turn its prey made to escape. The chase ended just a few meters away from me in the middle of the field, well-lit by the sun, so I only have the excuse of being an amateur for the poor set of photos I took. Although, in my own defence, I was engrossed in watching this spectacle at the time, as it was the first time I've witnessed a successful Sparrowhawk kill. Finally, just as I thought that was it for the morning, a Common Buzzard came over the Quarry towards me, dropping below the skyline to give great views, and just before the Quarry entrance, banked to its right as if to show off its wonderful under-wing barring in the sunshine before disappearing back over the hillside.
Back at Broad Valley, the stables field was covered in Fieldfare - around 250 birds were feeding on the ground. After counting them, a group of crows were flushed from the second field, then all the Fieldfare took to the wing too. It had to be a Sparrowhawk. Sure enough a female Sparrowhawk came over the hedge and homed in on one of the Fieldfare mimicking each and every turn its prey made to escape. The chase ended just a few meters away from me in the middle of the field, well-lit by the sun, so I only have the excuse of being an amateur for the poor set of photos I took. Although, in my own defence, I was engrossed in watching this spectacle at the time, as it was the first time I've witnessed a successful Sparrowhawk kill. Finally, just as I thought that was it for the morning, a Common Buzzard came over the Quarry towards me, dropping below the skyline to give great views, and just before the Quarry entrance, banked to its right as if to show off its wonderful under-wing barring in the sunshine before disappearing back over the hillside.
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