Going To The Chapel

And we’re gonna get Hawfinch.

Up early this morning Leigh and headed out first to Clumber Park. Arriving just after sunrise the Chapel looks pretty damned gorgeous in the early morning light.

Chapel Of Our Lady

Chapel Of Our Lady

Our main quarry here were the bloody elusive Hawfinch. Numbers seem to be in decline with only ones and twos getting reported but thankfully it didn’t take too much searching to pick up this one. Sadly it never showed out in the open.

Hawfinch

We moved back down the road looking for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker but despite plenty of other sightings we were always behind, the best we had was one flying between trees that I promptly lost again.

It was now time to head to a site I’d been tipped off about for Long-eared Owl. A couple of wrong turns and we finally found the site entrance and headed in to the site. We soon found the general area but my directions made me wonder, the place I’d been told to look seemed to have been part-cleared so a quick call into ASBO HQ and I was soon in possession of a number for Rich Collis. He soon had us in the right spot and I quickly for the birds. How many birds can you find? All the birds are in the photo.

Long-eared Owl

A Leo Scoping LEO

Our final destination was RSPB Blacktoft Sands for the raptor roost. Plenty of Tree Sparrow around the feeders. A conservative estimate of roosting Marsh Harrier was 30 birds with two female Hen Harrier and at least one Barn Owl.

Tree Sparrow

Pochard

Cumulonimbus