Hi Marc.... I hope that your trip is a great one. My own trip to England
finished at 9.30pm last night as I entered the door here. It was done as a
walk across England and was therefore not primely birding. However we did
manage to use the binoculars and despite it being betwixt summer and winter
visitors we managed 105 species ... not bad. The Golden Eagle of Patterdale
fame (in the Lakes District, near "High Street") made its presence known to
my wife but not to me (We have seen them in Scotland before). I had to do
with Buzzards there ... though kestrels, a red kite (now spreading after
years or persecution, thanks to some careful conservation work), Eurasian
Sparrowhawk, northern Hen Harrier, Peregrine Falcon and Merlin made up the
raptor population ...
we should note that we did see Short Eared Owl, Little Owl and Barn Owl as
well (the latter in broad daylight as it fled a Carion Crow's attention in
Salcey Forest outside Northampton).
I guess one of the best sightings was of several Black Grouse, a special and
rather rare bird now. That was on the edge of the ling in the Yorkshire
Dales at a village called Keld. Or the Great Bittern in Leighton Moss
Reserve (RSPB)!
We were pleased to see many Northern Lapwings after reports of a dramatic
decline in their numbers. We were also pleased to actually find the Tree
Sparrow. Its numbers have crashed 97% over the past decade according to RSPB
figures.
We were also pleased that some old favourites were all there too ... the
Yellowhammer, the Chaffinch, the Blue Tit and the European Robin.
And to make new meaning out of bird feeders we were more than interested in
watching a Sparrowhawk dive bomb (though fail) Blue tits, Coal Tits and
Great Tits as they lived well off the pickings provided by all those bird
feeders; this time, at the RSPB feeder at Sandy itself!! It made for great
birding ... and we were there to find the Woodpeckers!
I note in my absence the resident Koel has returned to my backyard.
Brian Everingham
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