Saturday morning found us engaged in a fruitless search for roosting Tawnys around the patch and local urban parks. Hopefully they'll become more visible as winter turns to spring. Around 50 Jackdaws over at 7.15am and a lot of thrush movement locally; mainly Redwings but also many Song and Mistle Thrush. Song Thrushes now singing.
Our attention then turned to Pipers Hill in Worcs for more of the same thing. Lively with common woodland birds, but nothing outstanding. One Buzzard, 1 Treecreeper and 2 Nuthatch were a poor reward for the efforts invested.
All the looking up in vain at treetops for Tawnys was now causing slight derangment, so some sort of owl fix was needed to settle the nerves. We went to see the Little Owl near Hopwood, which we accidentally flushed to the other side of the field, but then had excellent scope views and it even coughed up a pellet for us.
As we headed home, a mobile check of Birdguides revealed 12 Waxwings had been seen at King's Heath Park. Just about a mile from our house - we were duty-bound to check this out.
At King's Heath Park we searched the east end of the park and then saw the 12 Waxwings as we headed back towards the road. They flew in and landed on a tree near the kiddies playground and flew off again almost immediately, but we soon relocated them on the other side of the road in Highbury Park - that's on the northern reaches of our tetrad - dead chuffed with the patch tick! Very flighty birds though, after flitting around the taller trees, they headed off along the railway line, towards the High Street.
Highbury Park also had a large mixed thrush/Starling flock, must have been well over 100 birds; again predominately Redwings, smaller numbers of Song and Mistle Thrushes, plenty of Starlings and a couple of Fieldfare.
Briefly checking the parks again yesterday morning, with no sign of the Waxwings, we headed out to Stubber's Green. Most of the bigger gulls were not in their usual place, but more distant on a field behind, but luckily the juv Iceland Gull was showing well, swimming on the pool, a nice year tick. Also 6 Goosander.
By early afternoon, we were lucky enough to be watching two awesome Long-Eared Owls at cripplingly close quarters at an undisclosed location...Tawnys can wait for another day!
5 comments:
Wow LEO's! Nice.
well done on the waxwing too. I'm the only birder in England not to have seen one this year!!
Dead jealous. Great pictures Kay.
I see you managed pics of the one that flew away, from me. I only managed a silhouette. The other made up for it though.
Cheers for the tip Kay - a pint I owe you now ;-)
I don't like beer Pete, but a Pint of wine or vodka will do me just fine ;)
please no talk of owls.
I am told there is a roosting tawney owl on my patch. I have detailed directions to it I KNOW I am in the right place but can I find the little git?
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