Birds, Leps, Observations & Generalities - the images and ramblings of Mark Skevington. Sometimes.

Tuesday 3 November 2009

More SEO Action

I went back to Cossington late this afternoon for another Short-eared Owl fix. Along with Alan Rayfield and a couple of others, we had to wait until quite late before they appeared although it was clearer and brighter than on Friday with a full moon rising. The first to appear was the paler of the two, which very nicely perched up on a very close post and could be clearly heard calling. I was glad I took the scope to get excellent views of the perched bird. After a few minutes it flew across the track and perched up right at the top of a bare spindly tree where it was very briefly mobbed by a Kestrel. From nowhere a darker individual appeared and the two were then both flying around together for a few minutes, again calling. The darker bird gave us superb close views and flew directly over us at one point. Superb stuff. Otherwise a single Barn Owl put in a very brief appearance, being constantly mobbed by Magpies as it tried to hunt, and up to 8 Grey Herons were knocking about the meadow and in surrounding trees.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not a bad moon rising?

The second dark bird seems to have gone AWOL after just one evening... and there really were three we had the two dak birds together.

davidearlgray said...

It wouldn't surprise me if its hunting over another part of the reserve? As when the last SEO's(2005?) were on the reserve their were around the rectory marsh section!

Anonymous said...

Might have to come over for a 'SEO fix'..having failed miserably to find any on local patch so far....[they don't seem to be at Great Easton either at the mo...tho i guess that situation could change any day now]....

Beast...