Sunday 2 February 2014

Holy Island

With the walking conditions in the hills soggy to say the least,I decided my breath of fresh air this morning was to be coastal.
I parked at the first available pull in on the Snook and followed the North shore  hoping for a glimpse of the Snow Buntings I had last seen there a few weeks ago.I was not disappointed!A flock of 20 were busily foraging on the high tide line,occasionally taking to the air to move to a new feeding place when disturbed.
Assuming that was to be the highlight of the morning,as the only other two birds I had seen were a Reed Bunting and a lone Brent Goose,I decided to head back through the dunes,but first noticed a freshly killed and stripped wader,its breast entirely picked clean and both wings untouched!In the dunes ten minutes later, the likely author of the wader's demise swept past pushed by the wind-Peregrine!
The wind was unpleasantly strong and most self respecting birds were well hunkered down I thought ,but my final thrill was still to come!
The first Short Eared Owl I had seen on the Island this winter!Magic!

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