June 27th 2008

To put it simply - me and Dave are a pair of jammy b*****ds at the moment.
Coffee and cake at Draycote Water this afternoon where from the cafes balcony a Hobby came from no where and took one of the House Martins before the rest could sound the alarm. We then walked out to farborough spit where Dave spotted another or the same Hobby high over the valley but I could not find it and then he shouts "swans" and just as I picked them up thinking (swans are moulting this time of year) he commented that they had very long necks - oops and legs to which I replied "CRANES". Yep two Common Cranes were circling low and failing to find a thermal they went over bunkers hill wood and landed in a field on toft farm out of sight,next to the A426. As we started putting the news out they took off and flew low over toft bay towards Thurlaston and were watched as they suddenly dropped out of sight some distance behind lin croft point. Hoping they were down we shot back to car and raced to the A45/M45 roundabout but saw nothing and it was difficult to check adjacent fields because of the high hedgerows and Friday afternoon traffic so we went to Ling Lane on Lawford Heath where you get a commanding view of the horizon hoping for a flight view but had no luck though 3 Buzzards and 2 Corn Bunting were seen. From the size difference between the two they may have been a pair and certainly adults. Chatting afterwards we think that though it was warm the wind was too strong for thermals to form hence the low flight.
Blimey what a week we have had - Red Kite, Bee-Eater, Forester, Lilac Beauty, Small Rununculus and now Common Crane - I'm defiantly buying a lottery ticket this week and out tonight mothing so taking millions of pots.

Richard