There have been no reports of the Short-eared Owls at Farlington this Autumn, last year they were seen from the middle of October and there was at least four present. This year nothing has been reported, but a message at the weekend stated they were about and then on Monday I saw some photographs. With today a still calm day after the storms and clear blue skies I had made up my mind to visit Farlington in the afternoon.
The Environmental Agency has finally started to do something about the disaster that is the sluice into the Lake. Salt water has flowed into the lake and moved as far as the information hut, apparently the percentage saltwater is well above 70% and this has killed the reed beds. Phragmites can be resilient and recover, but hey need to have a seed stock. If the seed has been killed as well then the chance of the reed bed recovering is extremely low. This is the state of the Lake today.
Work has started, they are drilling soil samples to ensure that the sea wall is capable of taking the heavy machinery as they intend to take the old sluice out and replace with a new one, lets hope the sea wall can handle the equipment.
I walked around to Point Field. Brent Geese were in good numbers on the marsh and the Barnacle Goose was in amongst the Canada Geese, with its white farmyard partner.
On the west side of Point Field there were several Stonechats. This male Stonechat showing of very well.
I moved to the south side of the field and sat down on the sea wall. Out in the harbour the tide was out and there were 10m Harbour Seals hauled out on the mud. There were more Stonechats around the bramble in the middle of the field along with Linnets. I could hear Dartford Warblers calling and eventually managed to see one.
Just before 14.00 a Short-eared Owl flew up from the grass. It would have been close to the path, so closing the route through the field seems to have helped. It flew around for a short while then settled on one of the path markers in the centre of the field.
My first of the year, I wasn't able to find any at the start of the year.
Those yellow eyes standing out in the afternoon sunshine.
A shake of the wings and feathers to sort out the sleepy time feelings.
It then left the post and flew around and over the bramble and out of the field. After a short while I picked an owl up heading west across the marsh spooking the duck, but I then lost it. I scanned the marsh but there wasn't any sign. I decided to make my way back to the car, having had some good views.
Just past the Lake and on a bank close to the pool there was a Red-legged Partridge, I can't recall having ever seen them here before.
As I walked away from the partridge a Short-eared Owl flew up from the grass and headed across the marsh, it went to settle in a small bush, but changed its mind and flew to another white post that marks the limit of the path.
Then it took off and flew around the bramble bushes, here something catching its eye behind the bush and it swooped.
It stayed down, so I walked to the gate and made my way through the field to see if I could get a view. The field was flooded in places so I had a circuitous walk around the pools. I stopped away from the bramble and suddenly the owl took off and flew away from me. I could see it was carrying something but it wasn't clear.
Then some hind legs and a tail.
From this I am sure it was a Bank Vole.
It flew down the side of the stream and then into the bramble and hawthorn bushes and out of sight. The flooding was much worse so I had to turn back. More than happy with the results from the afternoon. Every day you get to see a Short-eared Owl is a very good day.
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