Collared Doves and Curlews

Lade - mild and grey am, sunny pm, light airs - Spent most of the day assisting the lumberjacks  cutting back the garden leyandias; we left it until now as surely there wouldn't be any active bird nests, would there? Oh yes there was, incredibly two Collared Dove nests were discovered, both with two eggs, the adult birds sitting tight despite the chain saw buzzing away nearby. Unfortunately, one nest was accidentally destroyed but the second one was left intact. Do these prolific breeders ever stop for a breather, I don't think so.

                               Curlews, Lade - before and after Marsh Harrier attack

It was a glorious late afternoon with barely a breath of wind and a red setting sun as we slogged out across the shingle to Mockmill for a stake out and to see what was on the move at last knockings, carefully avoiding the roosting Curlews en-route. However, a passing Marsh Harrier wasn't as circumspect and tried his luck, plunging down into the flock and flushing them skywards, but without a score as the Curlews kept in a tight group. The harrier drifted off towards the bird reserve, presumably to roost, along with three others over the course of the hour. Hundreds of Woodpigeons flocked into the willows behind the `mirrors`, plus a few Blackbirds, but there was no sign of any owls hunting the rough ground on what was a perfect evening for such activity. So, we hung around and just enjoyed the sunset, beautiful, and as it dipped down over the cliffs at Fairlight, so did the temperature...

                               Sunset, Mockmill Sewer