21-8-10, Whitemoor Haye

The forecast for today was not good but when I got up it wasn't bad so I got my gear on my bike and headed off. I am still trying to get my car repaired, the rear bumper is still away being sprayed. I am also on call for a week so can only be local. It doesn't take long to get to site and I had a look over the pool. Birds noted were Long-tailed Tit, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Robin, Great Tit, Carrion Crow, Greenshank, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Mallard, Mute Swan, Jackdaw, House Martin, Swallow, Magpie, Sand Martin and Kestrel. Not a bad start to the morning. Could it get any better? I headed off from the pool and had a steady ride heading up to the rough track and all of theway around before heading home. Other birds noted here were Tree Sparrow, Blue Tit, Common Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Linnet, Starling, Stock Dove, Canada Geese, Skylark, Whinchat, Buzzard, Pheasant, Peregrine, Greylag Geese, White-fronted Geese, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and Dunnock.

Can somebody verify the Whinchat. My books do not show a juvenile or female, I am sure this is a juvenile or Female Whinchat. It was showing on the tops of the barley at the start of the rough track.

Stock Dove

Whinchat ( I think it is anyway)

Peregrine enjoying his breakfast.

As I approached the sharp bend on the rough track I heard lots of screaching. I thought they were raptors but was not sure. Then I started seeing birds swooping. I got to the bend and found a Buzzard on the ground with three Peregrines. They were dive bombing the bird and eventually the Buzzard got up and flew off. This left a single Peregrine to tuck into whatever was caught by whatever. A second bird did land and this was was not as dark but larger. Was the first bird (see photo) a juvenile and the second bird the mother and it was the parents teaching a juvenile to hunt? I don't know but it was great fun watching the birds for a while. After all of this fun it was back home to carry on repairing the car and clean out a couple of sheds.