| On the last Blog Note I switched from frustration with the Bittern to success with the Owls. On two visits I had a great time but on the third visit they didn't show, almost certainly due to the wind. I was relieved when I heard that they were re-sighted today. Well, I decided to try a third time for the Bittern and it was successful. Over a period of three hours, this famously skulking bird came out of the reedbeds a couple of times to cross over to a different pond. Not as close as I would have preferred but pleasing nevertheless. It is a credit to the RSPB and others that their numbers are on the increase. |  |
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 After a couple of days spent freezing in hides trying to see a wintering Bittern, we decided to change tack today and look for some wintering Short Eared Owls instead. There was plenty of snow and ice around the parkland, and the edge of the loch was frozen as we searched. Then, at a headland, a hunting owl appeared floating over the heads of the Greylag Geese grazing there. We saw three owls in total hunting that area, with one even perching on a log beside the loch for a while, giving us time to study it. After quartering an area for a bit they dived into the tussock grass after prey. It's four years since we've encountered wintering owls nearby, so it was a thrill to watch them.
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AuthorEric & Lesley McCabe Archives
February 2018
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