Hen Harrier

Saturday - Lade - cold, dry and sunny - Weather wise the perfect winters day with light airs and warm sunshine. The morning was spent on the local patch where five Goldeneyes, 80 Shovelers and 130 Teal were the highlights on south lake, plus a Peregrine over and two Marsh Harriers hunting the back reedbed. There was much passerine activity in the sun trap around the ponds where up to four Chiffchaffs busily snapped up flying insects amongst the usual tits and finches, plus two Cetti`s Warblers and a Green Woodpecker on the causeway shingle.
  A late afternoon stakeout at the top end of Mockmill drew a blank for owls, but five Marsh Harriers, three Little and two Great White Egrets and hundreds of Woodpigeons, Stock Doves and black crows flew to roost towards the bird reserve.

                                Drake Tufted Duck, south lake

                               One of four Chiffchaffs by the ponds

                               Barrel Jellyfish

Sunday - cold, dry and sunny, n 3 - Another cracking day tempered somewhat by a brisk breeze out of the north. There was no change on the local patch apart from the reappearance of several Barrel Jellyfish on the beach, one almost the size of a dustbin lid, the other two more Frisbee size.
Walland Marsh  - This afternoon I joined CP out on the Marsh for the monthly harrier count at our usual watch point. En-route we paused at Midley where seven Bewick`s Swans were in their usual field with another 35 amongst a flock of 200 Mutes nearby. A male Hen Harrier located over by the Woolpack then did a tour of the Marsh before ghosting off to roost on the Lydd ranges; as always a superb bird. As for Marsh Harriers, while a dozen or so flew through only one came to roost, maybe due to disturbance from the duck shooters by the reservoir.
  Also noted a flock of 40 Corn Buntings, 10 Meadow Pipits, several Reed Buntings, a Stonechat, two Kestrels, four Common Buzzards, two Common Snipes, a Jack Snipe, Great White Egret and a large mixed flock of several hundred Golden Plovers and Lapwings.
  At sunset the usual cacophony of Water Rails struck up as two Barn Owls quartered the reedbed. In the distance hundreds of corvids and Woodpigeons flew to roost on the Low Weald, plus five Great White Egrets in scrub by the reservoir; but the best spectacle of all came as dark descended, and the duck-shooters had departed, allowing the entire mixed swan flock to evocatively fly to roost on the reservoir. A magnificent end to the day.