An early start to get Arne this morning. Didn't see much. A distant Fox, and a Little Egret on the raptor trail. Kingfisher on the raptor trail too, but flew off as I arrived, so no photo.
An afternoon trip to Farlington, and the Short Eared Owls, still not playing ball. Distant views as the sunset. Plus a Kestrel.
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At least 3 Hawfinches in their usual winter location at Mercer Way in Romsey. And as usual, very tricky to see properly.
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Spent a few hours first thing to day on Salisbury Plain - no Merlins, no Hen Harriers. Then spent a couple of hours wandering Bentley Woods - no Hawfinch, no Crossbills. Spent the afternoon at Farlington Marshes - 2 Short Eared Owls eventually turned up at 16:00 once the sun had gone behind a cloud. Mostly hunting way off in the distance.
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I spent Sunday afternoon and Monday morning out on Salisbury Plain looking for Merlins and Hen Harriers. No luck with the harriers, but two Merlins were very active. Both juvenile I think. On Monday morning the light was quite good and I managed to get a few decent(ish) in-flight shots as the Merlin rushed through the flocks of Linnets. One of the trickiest birds to photograph in flight because of their small size, speed, and erractic movement when chasing prey.
Also, a Kestrel, Linnet and Stonechat from this morning.
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A bit of a cloudy afternoon on Salisbury Plain today. But a flock of Linnets was feeding in one of their favoured winter areas and drew in a ringtail Hen Harrier and a Merlin. A few distant snaps below.
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