Now You See It, Now You Don't

It was amazing the difference between ice and snow conditions between today and yesterday on Rawcliffe Moss. After a whole night of rain almost all of the ice was gone and the driving conditions were back to normal. Even though I fed yesterday, I fed today so I wouldn't need to go tomorrow and hopefully we can catch some more Coot.

Six Yellowhammer were at the Pheasant feeder and at the feeding station itself were 164 Tree Sparrows and 17 Chaffinch. The usual two Grey Partridge were along the track plus another pair that I put up at the feeding station.


Driving off the moss I picked up a raptor flying parallel to me, but a fields distance away. I stopped and got my bins on it and it was a male Peregrine. Nice, my first one of the year on the Moss. I then lost it and picked it up again on the deck.

A quick check of the usual Little Owl spots revealed none present. At one of the locations where we put a box up a couple of years ago for them I noticed a dead pigeon in the entrance to the box. I couldn't tell what it was, either a Woodpigeon or a Stock Dove. If I was betting man I would put my money on Stock Dove, mainly because of the fact that they are hole nesters and do use boxes.