Andy and I had no luck with catching Linnets today. A couple of times we had two and three Linnets in the catching zone but being greedy guys we chose not to release the net but to wait for a bigger catch of five or six or more. This proved a mistake, more so when the 30/40 Linnets that had been around for a couple of hours moved on elsewhere.
We made do with the intermittent birding which other than the usual frustration with the Linnets' shyness, proved very entertaining.
A Barn Owl played “chicken” with local traffic a couple of times when it flew across the road in the face of incoming vehicles. Luckily, the probable local drivers slowed down once they saw the regular owl fence hopping ahead of their vehicle.
Barn Owl
There's a pair of Stonechat which stick close together on their tour of fenceposts that line the ditch. They searched the rank grass and moved through the hedgerow alongside the field ditch where a couple of Little Egrets occasionally showed. Along the hedge were a female Reed Bunting and a single Wren. Let's hope the Stonechats stay to nest once they successfully negotiate and remaining cold weather.
Stonechat
Barn Owl
We watched the owl dive into the grass on at least three occasions hoping to see it rise carrying a meal and although we didn't see any catch it's unlikely it would go long without a kill.
Skylarks have been noticeable for a week or more and today we had one within inches of being in the catch zone of the whoosh net. Quite suddenly a Merlin was attracted in by the activity of the Linnet flock and Skylarks overhead as it shot like a low bullet through the area, out over the ditch and across the nearby field towards the sea wall 250 yards away.
The Merlin is pretty scarce nowadays but a super sight of any bird watching trip and guaranteed to inject excitement into the most mundane of days.
Merlin by @Greg Lavaty
Skylark
Almost certainly we will catch a Skylark or two in the coming weeks.
Barn Owl
Definitely a few Linnets, and maybe a Stonechat, but we don't expect to see a Merlin or a Barn Owl in our whoosh net any time soon.
Good News friends and supporters. From anywhere in the world you can now buy me a coffee for those cold, wet days birding in England.
Just click on the yellow sidebar widget. Thanks in anticipation!
Linking today with Eileen's Saturday Blog and Anni in Texas.
I know you're disappointed about me not buying you a coffee, Phil, however, seeing the diving the barn owl, merlin and stonechats must have made your day...jp
ReplyDeleteThe Barn Owl Is Cool And All But That 'Merlin by@Greg' Shot Is Amazing - Be Well Brother Man
ReplyDeleteCheers
OK, Phil, you are going to get no sympathy from me when you keep seeing barn owl(s)! And the only time I am going to buy you a coffee is when I can finally travel to the UK and meet you in person!
ReplyDeleteI love the barn owl!
ReplyDeleteWell, it was a pleasure to know that you at least got out for awhile, finally! Now, if you can just tame that "greed" impulse and remember that "a bird in the net is worth 40 in the bush" or something similar.
ReplyDeleteAlas, I have not seen a Barn Owl in our county in over three years. I fear it is more than just habitat loss but not sure what has caused a decline. Most of the state is seeing similar results.
We hope this trend of being outdoors continues to improve for you and that ringing will become the "old normal".
You are absolutely right when you say spotting a Merlin will make any trip quite special!
Gini and I continue to have fun and birding has been very productive. Tomorrow we head for Florida's east coast where we will scour salt marshes and Atlantic Ocean beaches for exotic species begging to be photographed. Hopefully, we'll even see a few birds.
Take good care, my friend. Enjoy the java.
I would be over the moon if I saw the Barn Owl and not another single bird all day. We used to have one around here but I have not seen it for several years now :-((
ReplyDeleteRinging will pick up soon now that the weather is slowly changing.
Have a good week Diane.
Hello, Phil
ReplyDeleteI would be thrilled to see the Barn Owl, they are beautiful. I love the pretty Stonechat and the Skylark. The Merlin was a great sighting. Wonderful collection of photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, wishing you a happy weekend!
Mine favorite is the Barn Owls! Really amazing!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend!
That Barn owl is gorgeous! WOW! That would be worth getting out for me! Enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteThat Barn Owl Is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteGreat bird sightings. I'd love to see a barn owl (though maybe not swooping in front of my car!). The skylark is a pretty bird. Hope you're having a great weekend!
ReplyDeletePhil - so sorry to hear about your fellow ringer who fell victim to the virus. I try to avoid hospitals as much as possible - creepy things live there and infect people ...
ReplyDeleteAs with everyone else, the barn owl is favored. But, I wouldn't want to watch it playing chicken with vehicles.
ReplyDeleteNext time, take what is caught in the net?!?!!
I'll do one better. But you have to do some traveling. Come to Texas and I'll buy you steak dinner!
Enjoy your week ahead, and thanks for taking time to link in.
Hi Phil! :) The Skylark and Merlin are gorgeous, but that Barn Owl is the star of the show, it's so beautiful!
ReplyDelete