Osprey and Ouzels

Saturday 14th April 2012
A superb morning birding started at Dowdeswell Reservoir just before 6.00am in dull and somewhat damp conditions. The OSPREY soon brightened things up though as it appeared over the dam wall at 6.31am. It gave a nice flypast (above), and was going to perch on a tree across the water but was displaced by a Crow before it headed over the woods and dropped down out of sight.
The second attempt at Cleeve Common was more successful than last Saturday, with a total of eight RING OUZELS feeding below the heather enclosure (above). This probably included the six I had seen 20mins earlier north of the enclosure before they were flushed by two horse riders. A Fieldfare was with the Ouzels (below), and other birds included a Red Kite which floated over heading west.
Fieldfare and Ring Ouzel
I finished the morning at Witcombe Reservoir where the Osprey was reported to have been fishing yesterday. No sign of that, but a Common Sandpiper was a year tick. Also here six House Martins, six Swallows and c30 Sand Martins feeding above the water.

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