Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus - News of a Lammergeier summering in Derbyshire had been of some interest but never really excited me enough to think it worth travelling up to see it during a pandemic. It hadn't been seen for a while and wasn't on many people's minds when James Lowen found a huge raptor just down the road here. He was in a hurry and assumed it was a White-tailed Eagle, but thankfully wasted no time posting pictures of it on Twitter. I saw his message and immediately wondered if it might be something a whole lot more interesting, but he was reporting that it was in a field south of Foxley and frankly even if it was "just" a White-tailed Eagle, I didn't want to waste any time getting to it. So, rather than lookng at the photos closely enough to make sure of the ID I jumped straight into the car, put foot to the ground and sped to Foxley, not entirely sure if I was going to see an eagle or a Lammergeier when I got there.
Five minutes later I arrived but there was no sign of any large raptor nor anyone looking at it. By now Twitter and WhatsApp were buzzing and James had been made aware that his photos did in fact show the Lammergeier - but he was half way to the coast. I called him for more details and although he wasn't sure of the road numbers I worked out that he'd seen it in the field at the junction of the B1145 and the A1067 which I had just passed (so Bawdeswell really), but more to the point it had flown off low to the west - i.e. towards where I had come from! So I headed back to North Elmham, keeping my eyes out as I went, but couldn't see it. I decided the higer ground the the north west of North Elmham muight be a good place to look from and set up there. After seeing a few Buzzards I picked up a large raptor in my bins that looked more interesting, and went to find it in my scope. At this point James called to say Mike had relocated it, but James didn't know where and suggested I call him. After scrambling around to find Mike's number I called him, but couldn't get through, and now I couldn't see the bird again. Fortunately Mike messaged me back to say he was watching it from the Bintree to Billingford road (so it may well have been the bird I had picked up which was in that direction). I got back in my car and sped back to Billingford. I'd been in touch with Dave N and he arrived before me so was able to direct me as I arrived to see it flying directly overhead, slowly moving west with Buzzards. What an amazing thing to see less than 2 miles from my house!
Having enjoyed watching the Lammergeier for um, not very long, it occurred to me that it was flying straight towards my house, and not very fast. Not as fast as I could drive. How cool would it be to see a Lammergeier from my house? A couple of mintes later I was tumbling out of my car in my drive and running upstairs to my study with its east-facing window. After 2-3 minutes Buzzards started coming into view. They were circling around going in and out of view behind houses and trees, but they were coming this way, and then YES, there's a HUGE raptor among them! I switched to my scope as it disappeared behind a tree and that was it. The whole flock seemed to be veering further south, so out of view from my position. That briefest of views of what obviously was the Lammergeier (but frankly could have been any raptor that's at least 3 times the size of a Buzzard) was going to be all I could get from my house and I'm still not convinced I made the right decision to leave it where it was showing well just to be able to say Ive seen a Lammergeier from my house.
Anyway, I decided to get back in the car and see if I could relocate it. It was seen again by others but being so distant from the viewpoints it was seen from it was difficult to work out exactly where it was from their directions, and I didn't manage to connect with it again. Still, an amazing experience even if in hindsight I might have enjoyed it even more if I hadn't run round quite so much like a headless chicken. Had I gone straight to the meadows I am sure I would have seen it from there and got it on my patch list, but then I wouldn't have also seen it from my house and wouldn't have had the views I got from Billingford.
Lammergeier, Billingford, 28th September 2020
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos - A first for me was seeing Golden Eagle chicks in an eyrie on Mull in June 2019. Although I was watching from a safe distance I didn't feel like spending too long there and so didn't see the adults.
Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus - Despite evidence of breeding locally I don't see this species as often as I would expect at the meadows (and still less at home). 8 records at the meadow in 2019 and only 2 in 2020, but a good handful of other local records.
Sparrowhawk, Lobregat Delta (Spain) 22nd February 2020
Sparrowhawk, Gava Mar (Spain) 22nd February 2020
Marsh Harrier Circus aeuginosus - 2 records at the meadows in 2019, on 26th April and 25th August, the latter a bird with red wing-tags that was hunting the meadows. Unfortunately I wasn't able to read the tags. 4 records there in the last quarter of 2020 involving at least 2 birds but one that seems to be overwintering locally (seen again in 2021). One flew over my garden on 30th May 2020, my first record here. Another red wing-tagged bird was at St Benet's Abbey on (this one inscribed CC, a female ringed near Thorpe Haddiscoe on 9th June 2019).
Marsh Harrier, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th August 2019
Marsh Harrier, St Benet's Abbey, 2nd December 2019
Marsh Harrier, Burnham Overy, 25th December 2019
Marsh Harrier, Llobregat Delta, 21st February 2020
Marsh Harrier, Llobregat Delta, 22nd February 2020
Marsh Harrier, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th November 2020
Marsh Harrier, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th December 2020
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus - An adult female flew low over the meadows on 27th November 2020.
Hen Harrier, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th November 2020
Red Kite Milvus milvus - One at the meadows on 15th February 2019 was, surprisingly, the only bird I saw there in my first 2 years of watching. 2020 was slightly better with birds seen on 27th May and 18th September. Also one from the house on 3rd and 8th June, my first here. A few other records from other locations both years.
Red Kite, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th February 2019
Red Kite, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th September 2020
White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla - 3 adults on Mull including a pair at a nest site.
White-tailed Eagles (and Hooded Crow), NE Mull, 9th June 2019
Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus - One at Wells on 1st January 2020.
Rough-legged Buzzard, Wells, 1st January 2020
Buzzard Buteo lagopus - Regularly seen at the meadows with up to 10 in the air at once and birds sometimes roosting around the meadows. Sometimes seen from home too.
Buzzard, Carsaig Road (Mull), 13th June 2019
Buzzard, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th December 2019
Buzzard, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd March 2020
Next page: Owls, Hoopoes, Kingfishers, Woodpeckers, Falcons and Parrots
Or return to Birds index
No comments:
Post a Comment