March 28th - Bank Holiday dash

I have to work on a Bank Holiday, and I sigh in frustration at lunch time as all the notifications of Little Gull come through.

As it's a Bank Holiday and nothing's doing for her, I persuade my Mum it would be a nice trip to Holme Pierrepont.  She picks me up at 4pm on the dot and it's a short trip, with the roads eerily quiet.

We stop just past the tennis courts, where the A52 is visible through the edge, but I can't see any Little Gulls.  However, I get a Sand Martin over head and four Little Egrets appear on the far shore line.

Moving to the lay bye near Blotts, I leave my Mum reading her news paper, as I go to check out the pits from the viewing screen.  I get another year tick as an Little Ringed Plover does its best to avoid the harassment of a Lapwing, and then my attention is caught by a  large bird on the tree line.

I get the bird in the bins and see a raptor and it's something interesting, but before I can get another look, it's gone behind the trees!  Fortunately the bird pops up a little further to the left and I get it in scope, as it drifts on a shallow v and flapping occasionally on elastic wings.  It's a 1st summer female Marsh Harrier, with very dark wings and body and a somewhat contrasting paler head.  I watch the bird as it drifts east and then goes down and out of sight.  A very nice consolation after dipping on the Little Gulls.