No hobbies today as it was to windy and wet, but that was more than made up for watching the kestrels hunting.
We were sat in the visitor centre having a bap, when I clocked the kestrel swooping in from the left. The flock of green finches scattered, but one was too slow, and the kestrel had one, grounding it in the picnic area before flying off with its catch. About 20 mins later, both adult birds were hovering around the picnic area.
And then just as we were heading home, back over the "bouncy bridge" by the lighthouse, a large gull was trying to get a coot chick. It dived after it twice, but the parents managed to fight it off, and get the chick into the reed beds. I managed to get a couple of shots of this. I will post them when I process them!
Blustery day, but didn't dampen the spirits!#
Ant
"IT IS SAID THAT LIFE FLASHES BEFORE YOUR EYES BEFORE YOU DIE. THAT IS TRUE, IT'S CALLED LIVING."Death - Terry Pratchett (The Last Continent).
Sounds a good day despite the weather. Look forward to seeing the shots. When I was down there the other day I was talking to some guy and I had just missed a young stoat tackling a pheasant - my luck as usual!
On hindsight it was probably a sparrowhawk that swooped in and took a greenfinch. Kestrels tend to drop on small prey like voles etc, they don't take birds that often, and on the wing even rarely. Only got confused because the two kestrels were hovering around the picnic area all afternoon.
We (me and Jerry WSL) saw something stoat shaped scoot across the path a week last Sunday. It was by the lighthouse, we wondered what it could be? Hmm.
The female pheasant was down that end yesterday.
We stood in the reed bed bit by the lighthouse for 20 mins yesterday waiting to see if the bearded tits would put in an appearance, they didn't! A small warbler (no idea which one) came really close. Lined him up in my camera, went to to take a picture, and because it was so overcast and the light so poor the flash popped up with a big "click" and that was the end of that ... soooooo annoying!