Wednesday 27 March 2013

Spring into action

With a mixture of sun and snow showers this morning I wasn’t holding my breath when I went to West Hartford.


Walking passed the entrance plantation I could hear a WH rarity calling form the hedgerow next to the Substation, a Tree Sparrow. As I approached it flew south towards the next hedgerow down before going into the entrance plantation. Just out of view it then flew back into the hedgerow near a single tree before working its way down towards the border of East and West Hartford.

From here I could see that it was a male as it popped in and out of view also I could hear at least another two birds with it but the strong wind made listening difficult and seeing was made even harder as the newly ploughed fields were hard to move across.

Whilst watching the sparrows I noticed all the gulls in the nearby field get up and begin mobbing something. Expecting to see a Buzzard I was surprised when I looked up and saw a cream-crown Marsh harrier being mobbed. I flew off north avoiding the gulls and disappeared over the river towards Bebside.

SO that’s my first new species at WH this year, all I need now are House Sparrows! These Sparrows must have come from the newly discovered population at Laverock Hall Farm just over a mile away.

No comments: