Migration...

The last couple of days have been entertaining and literally full of surprises, some pleasant, some not! Yesterday a very brief view of a male Ring Ouzel in flight with a mixed bunch of Fieldfare and Redwing as they disappeared into the hedgerow and was sadly not seen again. Today the bulk of the winter thrushes have gone and there was no sign of the old crescent chest. Still, plenty of time for more and hopefully a photographic opportunity at some stage soon, I like Ouzels! There are a few White Wagtails, the continental counterpart of our own Pied Wagtail moving through at the moment with a nice trio in the fields close to Kings Lock. Yesterday I failed to see a couple of Red Kite that were reported over the Southern Section or a Hawfinch which was also apparently seen yesterday...aaargh! Last couple of days have produced fantastic views of the Buzzards though with up to three birds in the air and with so much moisture , particularly low flying birds. Our Water Rails seem to be showing themselves a little more at the moment and have certainly surprised interested dog walkers as they charge around squealing. It was great to hear and see a couple of Skylarks song flighting over the southern section as its almost a blast from the past these days as the population has declined dramatically here (Aylestone), surely this is the true sound of the British countyside. The Fox was again hunting out in the fields the last couple of days, its great to be able to watch a lovely animal going about its business.
There is an interesting owl around at the moment which appears to be occasionally flushed from its roost either by dogs or our alternative crowd! This is the problem - I've seen this bird going away from me through the back of the plantation but got nothing on it. It has also been seen by a couple of other people recently including a sighting yesterday and from the description, the habitat and the fact they're all daylight sightings it's probably a Long-eared Owl. This isn't the first time we've had LEO's although it's getting late in the season. The problem is with so much suitable roosting habitat, blackthorn scrub etc they can be very difficult to locate especially when your bushes are full of oddly behaving men!