Whilst at work today...
Water Gardens
Female COOT - I can't remember the last time I saw a Coot here.
Female MALLARD - the particularly well marked one with a white-ringed neck.
Corner Hall offices
4 RED KITES - circling high together towards Town Centre c.10.45 - as far as I know a
Record Count for the Town Centre.
BUZZARD - a lightish bird gliding high SW 11.10.
Female SPARROWHAWK - c.12.10.
Large RAPTOR - Buzzard-sized or bigger with white markings gliding high N 12.20.
COAL TIT - singing
CORMORANT - circling low over canal 14.10.
RED KITE - circling low 14.25.
Female PEREGRINE - circling slowly heading S 16.45 - I was alerted by the concerned call of a
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.
Female SPARROWHAWK - circled up quickly seemingly to make Peregrine aware of her presence 16.45.
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - calling in true seaside fashion 18.10.
2 SPARROWHAWKS - flying W from Two Waters 18.10.
2 GREY HERONS - flying around high over for a minute whilst one was calling, before going separate ways 18.20.
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| Female PEREGRINE over Corner Hall offices. |
Whilst watching the 4 Red Kites this morning I saw what looked like pieces of brown paper falling from the clear blue sky. At first I presumed one of the kites had dropped whilst 'playing' with it as they often do. Though on further observation the pieces of paper were falling over a largeish area of sky & from higher up than the Kites were soaring. The only logical explainations I can think of are either that this was paper that had been burnt on a fire somewhere last night (hence the brown appearance), the hot air from the fire carrying the pieces high up into the cold night air, then, as the saying goes, what goes up must come down? Or, perhaps the pieces were from a fire burning this morning, then carried up by the thermal that the Kites were soaring on then as the pieces reached the top they popped out of the thermal & fell to the ground? Either way it was a very perculiar sight.
