The last days in the mountains saw a lot of snow
come and the snow plough had to be used – I’m glad I had changed to winter
tyres before we drove up!
Birding wise we had another encounter with Siberian
Jay and I tried to get some flight shots. When they fly between trees they
often glide on outstretched red wings and look very cool and I hoped to capture
this with award winning photos but the light was too bad for such ambitious
thoughts…
The thermal imager was used a lot in the evenings
and we located hare, fox and a Tawny Owl (which we had previously heard
singing).
Yesterday morning I received a phone call from
Halvard that he had found a Stonechat in the Dale (the second record there and
both a product of Halvard’s hard work). I hoped to be able to go for it before
dark and sure enough I saw it just before sunset after we had driven home.
After this Halvard and I met up to search for owls (there is clearly a movement
of Tengmalm’s going on and it was a windless, stary night so conditions for
succeeding were good). I heard a Pygmy Owl singing as I walked out to meet H
who had got there before me and then saw a Tengmalm’s in the thermal imager and
briefly in the torch after H had given up and gone home – sometimes I have the
luck 😊
Today’s dog walk gave a nice male Hazel Grouse running over the path.
Hazel Grouse and Pygmy Owl will hopefully be regular occurrences this autumn
but tomorrow looks to be a day for staring at the sea.
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