The Tragic And The Excellent.

The tragic news.... 

Hen Harrier. Tim Birch.

From a successful breeding attempt, three of the five Derbyshire Peak District Hen Harrier chicks are already dead. Two of the birds are thought have perished at the hands of natural predation with no evidence of anything suspicious having taken place at this stage. All three remains/bodies have been taken for post-mortem. The remaining two other chicks are doing well....I think it best I make no other personal comments on this.

The excellent news....

Stonechat Ana Minguez

Thanks to two contacts I have gratefully received two excellent records. Those of 5 Stonechat seen on Warton Cragg today 13 September, and of a Stonechat and a Whinchat in the same view at Ocean Edge also today....Thanks to JW/AC, much appreciated.

Buzzard Martin Lofgren   

It was excellent that I saw 5 Buzzard soaring together over my Lancaster house this morning. I watched them in some brilliant aerial display with twisting and turning, stoops, and legs dangling. Hard to know what it was all about outside the breeding season, and whether they were all adult birds, or a family group....I suspect the latter.   

Thanks to JW/AC for the Stonechat records, and to AM/ML for the excellent images....All much appreciated. 

Post edited to correct an image which is no longer one of a Hen Harrier. It can sometimes be a bit of a pain being a human being.....WHOOPS!!