This week 9-13th March, wasn’t all about Hawfinches; on our trips around some local sites we found some very nice birds such as; Brambling, Grey Wagtail, Treecreeper, Dipper and 2 Lesser Black Backed Gulls on the Low Marishes road. Dalby village was checked several times near the old visitors centre for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker as the habitat is ideal with many Alders and a few rotten old Oaks – all providing ideal habitat for woodpeckers – but to no avail. On Westgate Carr rd just to the west of Pickering we were very surprised to find 7 Little Egrets all feeding in the same field – this was a great local record as it represents the highest number of individual birds that we have recorded. On Wednesday 11th March I found and photographed a Dipper on Pickering Beck off Lendal’s Lane the first I have seen this year, but it got even better as another bird joined the first and both birds were displaying to each other.In Thornton Dale we also found a very confiding Grey Wagtail, I am always very surprised at their super long tails. This bird was a female and was beautifully marked.The week ended with a breathtaking observation; one I had never witnessed before; On Friday March 13th Alf and I had a trip to watch some local Goshawks. Within half an hour a large female was observed giving its characteristic ‘slow motion’ display flight, we watched the bird for approximately 5 minutes, suddenly she swooped down with wings folded into the top of a larch plantation. A smaller bird immediately flew up, with the female Goshawk in full pursuit twisting and weaving as the smaller bird tried to shake off its pursuer. We then identified the smaller bird: a Woodcock! Just then another Goshawk appeared – a juvenile, about a 100 metres away. Then with phenomenal speed the adult female hit the Woodcock and it exploded into feathers both Goshawks then dropped into the wood with their prize. This pursuit barely lasted 20 seconds. After watching Goshawks for nearly 20 years this was the first time that either of us had seen them hunting. What a spectacle!! To finish the morning off we had a ‘fly-through’ Peregrine. And on the way back we discovered a flock of approximately 30 Brambling feeding on some fallen Beech mast. Many of the males were moulting into their Summer plumage; some with very dark heads. The end to another great week.
