** Elmley NNR. **

After many many weeks of not blogging I thought it was about time I posted something just to keep me hand in.
I went to Elmley NNR  at 1pm to see what might be showing. I wasn't expecting too much as it is still a  bit early for this reserve to get into full swing. I went later in the day looking for birds of prey.
It wasn't until I settled down in the Wellmarsh Hide that I realised it is 12 years this month since I left my monogram in the corner. I am surprised it has lasted this long.
Back to the birds. There was only one bird that made my day and that was a SHORT EARED OWL at 13:50. I saw this bird in the far distance head on, and as it got a little closer there was no doubt what it was, it's wing beat gave it away, to me it is moth like. It flew onto the reserve and settled on a post near the far bank, it was nice to get a good look at it before the weather started to change. When it did that's when I decided to call time. By the time I left the reserve it was raining hard.
During the couple of hours I was here I saw: 5 Marsh Harrier, 4 Common Buzzard, 4 Kestrel, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Mallard, Teal,  Shelduck, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Mute Swan, Coot, Moorhen. Lapwing, Curlew, G/B/B/Gull, B/H/Gull, Herring Gull, Rook, C/Crow, Jackdaw, Pheasant, Starling, House Sparrow, Goldfinch.


I wasn't going to bother with my "Bird of the Day" seeing as there wasn't any competition, but then I thought,  why not, so  here it is, it is the..............*** SHORT EARED OWL.***