What have you seen

A few years ago I was walking through a dense part of Cropton Forest when a raptor expertly flew between the trees causing me to duck and feel the moving air on my bald head. Can only think it was a goshawk! What speed, what navigational skills, what a bird but only a glimpse given!

mickysf

            From your description ....you bet it was a Goshawk, a fabulous bird ! Top Gun has nothing on them. I had the pleasure of watching a pair raring chicks ( from a distance) in 2017. Strangely they never returned to their original habitat.

+1, I was working in a forest a few years ago when one flashed past me doing the Top Gun 90dg quarter roll & back. . .Pure poetry quickly followed by slack jaw & goosebumps. I’ve only ever seen them since around the outer forest no doubt trying to spook a bird(bogie🙂) to flight.

They are indeed majestic birds, full masters of flight. We have a breeding pair and a couple of estates a couple of miles apart that have regular pheasant shoots so the birds are never short of straying pheasants along with their normal fayre. We've been lucky to see them flying over from one site to the other. Wonderful seen from underneath.

Had the privilege of seeing a Sea Eagle leave its' nest today and fly off to the lake. What a sight. It had 2 chicks on the nest to feed, both apparently doing well.

This capped off another lovely day where we  walked miles around lakes, through forest glades and beside wet meadows. Had really close up views of both Black Terns and Whiskered Terns, Spoonbill, Purple Heron, Honey Buzzard, Marsh warbler, Black Necked Grebes and White Storks amongst many more.

Where are you, Wherenext?

I'm here, where are you?😁

The Netherlands Micky. Travelling around it bit by bit. Yesterday we were just south of Groningen in the North East. If anyone reading this interested in actual places then I'd be happy to oblige with details in detail but probably only when we get home in three weeks. If just interested in general terms then no problem. 

Had a quiet day which involved travelling 1 junction of a motorway, about 5 miles, to get some pink toilet flush. On the way back I saw a male Hen Harrier quartering the wheat field and OH saw a female doing the same on the opposite side of the motorway, which was quiet and flat. We were hoping to cycle the local back roads to look for them but high winds have prevented that.

Thanks WN. It’s just that I was fascinated with the variety of bird life and the species seen. Fantastic, and to think we are only separated by a relatively short distance across the North Sea. Oh, and we are in what is now being called ‘The Celtic Rainforest’, not quiet the wildlife sights that you have seen mind but the scenery is absolutely stunning.

We did do quite a bit of research before we came over Micky.

I would have liked to have come across in April to get the wader migration as well as some late Geese movements but circumstances prevented that. So really the only thing that has been missing up to now for us on a non existent list would have been the waders. We're off shortly to a heathland type of environment so that should throw up some forest and heath species, be it reptiles or birds, and then we're finishing off at a heath and wetland type, where there is supposed to be another breeding White Tailed Eagle.

We are doing a bit of reconnaissance for potential future visits as well and would probably miss our current one out next time and move to the area where we saw the Sea Eagle the other day.

Nothing wrong with Scotland. It has its own unique wildlife. Enjoy your trip.