Wednesday 8 April 2009

April 8th 2009

With a strong westerly wind and gust of up to 30mph I gave the pond a quick early morning visit before retuning home for some domestics then out again mid afternoon.
As dawn broke there were 2 Great-northern Diver off draycote bank along with Grey Wagtail by the valve tower and 8 Dunlin flew over east. It was too windy for any warblers and even the Blackcaps were keeping quiet so the only other birds of note was the Red-necked Grebe in toft bay and 2 Wigeon nearby.
John Harris had a mobile Rock Pipit on toft bank and 5 Yellow Wagtail on farborough bank plus Small Tortioseshell butterfly.
I spent the afternoon on Napton on the Hill near the windmill and quarry looking north for two hours hoping for a migrating Osprey, Marsh Harrier or Kite to drift over while all the time there was a male Common Redstart 100 yards behind me.
I only got to know about it when a dog walker said she had seen a brightly coloured bird with a red tail flitting on the windmill entrance road when she walked past. By the time I got there it was nearer the windmill entrance eventually moving to the left hand side hedgerow. As for flyovers the only one seen was 2 Fieldfare along with six local Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk. On the way home the Hen Harrier was quartering the field briefly near draycote water at 6:45pm and Bob Hazell had good views of it behind rainbow at mid-day.
Little Owl flew over my local Sainsburys at 9pm while stocking up for Easter.

Richard

2 comments:

Steve Valentine said...

What was the Little Owl buying for Easter at Sainsburys exactly?! :o)

Steve V

Richard Mays said...

Hi Steve,
Have no idea but it better not be an easter egg for Dave Cox. He still has not shared any of the 15 we all brought him for his birthday
- the pig

Richard