Raptors

Bit of a quiet spell recently – partly down to me being completely knackered all the time and partly down to this being the doldrums of the birding year. The latter should change in a few weeks in a big way and the former will be fixed by a holiday and a spell under the surgeon’s knife in Sept to fix my nose!
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Last week was very quiet though it was nice to catch up with Jonathan. Brief highlights included Wheatear at Conwy plus Yellow Wagtail and Green Sandpiper at Frodsham. The garden has also been very quiet with just the now usual juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker to create interest.
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On Friday morning a Common Sandpiper and two Grey Wagtails livened up HGF. I went back late evening and as I walked through the field to the south a Kestrel flew over my head. I then spotted another near the kennels and then another and then a fourth over the east side. But then hang on a minute – that fourth bird is not a Kes! I was then treated to a 20 minute aerobatic display by a Hobby which was swooping around catching insects over the tree line east of the pool. It made the Kestrels look sluggish, so much so that one took exception and shooed the Hobby away.
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Saturday morning started with a trip to the hairdressers in Newton (for Karen – I was playing chauffeur). While she was getting cropped I wandered off to Newton Lake with Bill. The three Green Sandpipers were back on the mud flat and a male Kingfisher was also fishing from a branch in the water at left hand side. Two Grey Wagtails were in the brook and on the pool were the usual pair of Mute Swans, 9 Canada Geese, a Little Grebe (adult), a Tufted Duck, 7 Teal and 9 Gadwall. A Buzzard also flew over – a very enjoyable spell of local birding.
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Saturday evening and a wander around Pennington didn’t produce any great excitement. Eight Green Sandpipers from Teal Hide and a Snipe with the female Garganey from Ramsdales. On a more recent visit the latter has now moved to Horrocks Hide – two Willow Warblers and male and female Blackcaps showed well in the bushes to the left with a Chiffchaff singing nearby.
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Yesterday evening while driving through Croft I diverted down Lady Lane and watched both adult Little Owls. One was wandering around at the foot of the left hand tree, the other was perched high in the usual tree and very difficult to spot. I had a brief chat with the land owner who turned up with a pony and trap – nice chap. Late afternoon today and an owl was preening on top of the bales.
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This morning I arrived at HGF, got out of the car and immediately all the birds went up. I spotted a Kestrel and a Buzzard on the deck, however neither of these appeared to be the cause of the commotion. The culprit soon appeared – another Hobby which didn’t hang around this time and sped off east. A Sparrowhawk was also flitting around near Midhops – four raptors! A Yellow Wagtail flew over calling and on the pool was a Common Sandpiper with the usual suspects all still present including both Black-necked Grebes. The adult is still largely in breeding finery.
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Due to the fields being ploughed there are plenty of birds around with 90 Lapwings and 3 Herons in the field nr the kennels. Plenty of gulls too with 470+ Black-headed Gulls bathing on the water and 12 Common and 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the field opposite the kennels. Also today a couple of Buzzards on Waterworks Lane and Kestrels on Waterworks and Highfield Lanes. The latter also produced 18 Linnets and 12 Greenfinches.
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A recent trip to Risley Moss turned into a good spell of birding. As soon as I arrived on a sunny morning at 10:15 I found four Hobbys up in the air together – they showed very well for the rest of the morning with several close fly overs and plenty of action catching insects. At least 6 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels and a brief view of a Marsh Harrier only improved the morning; however the best was yet to come. Scanning over towards the tip I spotted a large raptor flying laboured along the tree line. I couldn’t get a good view of it and the bird initially had me stumped. It then flew up to gain height and revealed itself to be an Osprey! I watched it for around five minutes disappear off to the east while at this time the two other birders present were watching a ring-tail Hen Harrier pass in front of us – I missed it! One of the other guys did manage to get onto the Osprey though. Roll on my forthcoming week in Northumberland where there looks to be plenty of interest already with Citrine Wagtails and Semi-palmated Sandpiper! Can’t wait.