My plan was to walk down to the Ancholme and back as i often do at Bonby and see what i could find.
It was decidedly cold today,with a slight ground frost and a fairly cold 5 degrees C as i arrived and i decided to get wrapped up with scarf and gloves on.
As i walked past the first stand of Poplars near the old chicken farm,a Great-spotted Woodpecker fed unconcernedly and a Kestrel left it's perch as i approached too close.As i approached the first of the open fields a couple of Roe Deer,a Doe and Fawn,were watched grazing on the edge of the field.As i quietly watched them,they gradually came closer and closer until the female spotted me and they quietly made their way in the opposite direction.
As i neared the Soak Drain the first 2 of the mornings 10 Common Buzzards were seen patiently watching from their perches as 2 Mute Swans fed in the drain itself.
It was a real shame to see the wet pasture field ploughed up,but there are still plenty of good feeding areas for birds in other areas in the vicinity.
It was apparent as i enjoyed my walk how many Skylarks were about today with birds in every direction and a guesstimate of at least 100 birds being present,which was great to see.
As i passed over the railway crossing,i saw a raptor approaching and it was quickly identified as an adult female Marsh Harrier.She flew closer and closer giving some superb views before making her way south along the Ancholme inland.Another raptor was seen shortly after the Marsh Harrier,a Merlin as it attacked a feeding flock of Gulls and Plovers on the fields just over the river and it was joined by a Peregrine which disappeared in the direction of Bonby chasing an unseen target.Its always an adrenaline filled sight to watch these stunning falcons hunting,one which i enjoy on a regular basis down here thankfully.
On the return leg back to the village,other avian sightings added to the mornings notes included a decent sized flock of 175 Linnet and 25 Mipits feeding on a weedy field,a Kingfisher along one of the drainage dykes,32 Pinks flew south overhead and a Chiffchaff sang in the village as i neared the car.
A few dragonflies were hanging on today and included 4 Migrant Hawker and a single Common Darter.
A cracking four hours out and about today.
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| Roe Deer. |
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| Mist along the Soak Drain. |
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| Female Roe Deer. |
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| Adult Female Marsh Harrier. |
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| Adult Female Marsh Harrier. |
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| Carrion Crow mobbing a Common Buzzard. |
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| Southbound Pink-footed Geese. |
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| Mating Migrant Hawkers. |
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