The light wasn't too bad early on, much better than the forecast had predicted and the 5 Wheatears standing equidistant in the horses field looked quite simply superb. Just behind in the next field, close to the fence 30 odd Golden Plover, most in breeding plumage were nothing short of stunning. A fantastic start. I had only been here some 10 minutes. In that short time i had already heard 3 Willow Warblers and many more were to follow on the track leading up to the sentry boxes. I reckon i heard over 30 while heading up and only 10 on the way back, possibly due to the deterioration in the weather. Loads of Chaffinches were seen and heard also.
I arrived opposite the horizontal tree in front of the derelict building and clocked the Tawny Owl immediately. I was very surprised as i saw the bird last year and it took me ages to locate. It was roosting so there wasn't too much action but i stood and admired it for over an hour. Trying to capture it on my camera proved difficult due to the branches and foliage but i ended up with 2 images i was reasonably happy with. I headed up to sentry box number 2 but it was quite quiet. The cloud cover was thickening and there was light drizzle falling intermittently. A pair of Yellowhammers appeared overhead in a tree nearby and brightened up what was slowly becoming a drab morning.
Although it was bright early on there was a chill in the air and no butterflies were seen.
Don't forget to double click on images.
Yes, it was overdue wasn't it. Hiding away in dark places in Durham and calling yourself Sedgedunum definitely do not go together. Looks like from the angle of your shots you went down low so I did yesterday and got some better views (although you coming down low is me going high) LOL
ReplyDeleteJohn
Looks like we have all seen it now.
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