The ghost of Winter......

13 Nov - A speculative late afternoon/dusk visit to Blakehill to scan the plateau, and its long grass, for winter visitors and in particular one charismatic species that has graced the area with its presence over the last several winters - I kept scanning as it got darker and towards the critical hour - and then, as the light faded well after sunset, there it was, the floppy, slightly bouncing and elastic wingbeats of a Short-eared Owl, hopefully back for the winter. It quartered the grassland until the light faded. The streaked brownish plumage, and paler underwings (but not the facial disc) were just visible in the gloaming. Hopefully better views, and in better light, later in the winter. Interestingly, last year's wintering bird also arrived in mid-November. Nationally, quite good numbers of this species have been recorded arriving from the east, so we will see if any other birds arrive at Blakehill.