Short-eared Owl at Blakehill ............

9 Dec - A late afternoon visit to Blakehill in dull but mild weather, fairly uneventful initially but quite good numbers of winter Thrushes 60+ Fieldfares and 10 Redwings. At 4.05pm I had one last scan and amazingly a Short-eared Owl had appeared and was quartering the plateau - the first sighting this winter. I watched it for a few minutes in the gathering gloom - the unexpected magic of birding!