Corn Buntings and Short-toed Eagle (15 June 2014)

Early heavy rain on Saturday caused me to delay a Corn Bunting survey.  No such issues on Sunday and I spent 3.5 hours around No Man's Land with singing birds in 2 of the 4 territories previously found in my area and one new one.  Also 3 Red-legged Partridges, 31 Stock Doves, 28 Swifts, at least 14 Sky Larks, just one Meadow Pipit, Bullfinch and 6 Yellowhammers.

An afternoon dash to Ashdown Forest following calls from John King and David Cooper (thanks both, what a day to leave phone and pager at work)  wasn't helped by slow traffic around Brighton (London-Brighton bike race, bloody cyclists!) and me misremembering where Gills Lap was (just after Old Lodge not before).  The bird had drifted west out of sight so we relocated to Old Lodge which gave a better view of that area and DC soon picked it up over a distant ridge.  I had three satisfactory views and then went around to Long car park and the old airfield where it had been in a tree.  I saw it very well a bit further down the valley but annoyingly had forgotten my camera.  It came up behind some near trees and spend 10-15 minutes slowly climbing higher, occasionally hovering and then drifted off east.  Other birds seen included Hobby, Wood Lark and Tree Pipit.

Corn Bunting 

Sky Lark

Yellowhammer

Short-toed Eagle over Ashdown Forest, honest ...

hovering with legs down

 

much better images others blogs, e.g. Sussex Birding (David Cooper), JFC's Birding (John Cooper) or native2Sussexbirding (Mick Davis).  See 'my blogs list' panel top right.