19th January 2017
Male Hen Harrier.
On Thursday 19th January i went to Stodmarsh for the Harrier roost , there was a constant overhead movement of Fieldfares which were great to see & hear , there were plenty of ducks out on the main lake which only had a small amount of water that wasn't frozen .
Female Hen Harrier.
At about 3.45pm i saw a superb 'Ringtail' Hen Harrier which circled around before drifting off and out of sight, i eventually saw 2 male & 3 female Hen Harriers and at least 15 Marsh Harriers , i also saw a superb Barn Owl.
Male Hen Harrier.
A really great birding session with superb views of the Hen Harriers.
23rd January 2017
Cetti's Warbler.
I went to Stodmarsh again on Monday 23rd January to hopefully see the wintering Water Pipits that are often out by the Marsh hide , as i was walking through the wooded area from the car park i had stunning views of a Cetti's Warbler which was probably the closest i have ever been to one.
I also bumped into the Stodmarsh legend that is David Feast , i first met David when i was a schoolboy and he was always very helpful with bird advice and always happy to tell you what birds are around.
Male Marsh Harrier.
I then carried on my walk towards the Marsh hide and had great views of both male & female Marsh Harriers , i reached the muddy area before you get to the hide and saw 2 Water Pipits before they flew off towards the hide .
Water Pipit.
I bumped into the two Steve's in the hide and we had quite a discussion on the Pipits as there is some doubt on there identification , it's been suggested that they could be the Scandinavian race of Rock Pipit, however in my opinion i am sure they are Water Pipits , (i am by no means an expert and it is just my opinion) but having read up on them and studying the photographs i am quite happy or at the very least the birds i saw are Water Pipits.
Treecreeper.
I decided to head back towards the Alder wood and had great views of a Treecreeper by the bridge plus i also saw a female Great Spotted Woodpecker and i heard but didn't see a single Redpoll, there were plenty of Fieldfares beginning to roost in the tree tops and someone very kindly informed me the Little Owl was showing at Undertree farm.
Fieldfare.
Little Owl.
Great bird shots, the harriers are magnificent birds
ReplyDeleteThanks Simon , Hen Harriers are the birds that got me hooked on birding many years ago.
DeleteThanks Steve , great to see you to, i had a good read of the Helm guide to Bird Identification which has great plates & write up on Water & Rock pipits.
ReplyDelete