Thursday, 10 March 2016

Rough-legged Buzzard after a lot of effort!

Friday 4th March fresh N Very sunny and cold

The target today is the rough-legged buzzard at Choseley barns near Twitchwell. The bird was seen last night and it is obviously an important bird to get for the year list. If I do succeed today then it may save me many miles of cycling later in the year.
It is cold today and the wind is fresh though from the side. There is almost no traffic as I cycle west, which is a blessing.


Lots of partridge, red-legged and grey, are in the fields as I proceed and two barn owls are daylight hunting again. So many barn owls in the last few days; eleven so far, I wonder why they seem to be doing so well in Norfolk compared to other counties?
I search the Choseley area for a couple of hours but only see partridge and yellowhammers. I even count the hares, over a hundred in order to keep searching.


Lunch at Titchwell and a walk down to the sea to look for eider. None there but plenty of common scoter and a few goldeneye. The bar-tailed godwits are here in good numbers and close too. Good to compare them to the black-tailed seen on the way up the path.

Out on the freshwater marsh the water level is extremely low so that a predator proof fence can be built around the large islands to improve wader breeding productivity.

Back to Choseley.
Three hours of pushing the bike along roads and bridleways. There has been a couple of common buzzards and yet another barn owl. This one was sitting on a garden fence. What a garden bird to have!
The sun is setting and I watch as a small group of greylags flies over.
What's that beneath them?
It's a 'there it is!' moment.
Rough-legged buzzard on the list.


So the year list is 180, twenty five ahead of this time last year.


31.16 Miles 970 feet elevation up 970 feet elevation down

No comments:

Post a Comment

60 Miles in September ACORNS CHILDREN'S HOSPICE - Green Birding and Olaf the Snowman

  60 Miles in September for Acorns Children's Hospice   OK, let's do this. Cycle, swim or walk. Have lots of fun - be Olaf the Snowm...