Had to stay after hours today as we had a group of RSPB bods on a course till late. Gave me the chance in the gorgeous evening light to scan the distant silts and despite the two miles between them and me I managed to scope two Barn Owls and three Short-eared Owls as they quartered the main lagoon bank. This is the first time I have ever seen two Barn Owls out at the same time and only an hour after I told the delegates that our Owls are renowned for not coming out to well after dark as a rule because of the corvids..... oh well...
There were still plenty of waders out on Purfleet and the MDZ includingseveral 100 Dunlin and nearly 200 Golden Plovers despite the tide having already receded some way. The immature male and one of the female Marsh Harriers were also quartering Wennington and the male Black Redstart was seen again at the west end.
Alan Shearman had a good walk round today and not only saw the pair of Bullfinches but got really close to the Pintail and Wigeon on the closest patch of slushy ice...
Thanks Alan for letting me pinch these from your blog!
12-3-13
Pintail is such a gorgeous duck, nice to see him standing instead of floating.