Here's a few more photos.
Buzzards were especially active in the warm breeze, enjoying the thermals to allow them to soar. Territorial birds were quick to mount a defence of their airspace against wandering birds. This first pic shows one getting a serious talking to by one of the regulars.
It's interesting to compare the different patterns of the two birds together. On the left is a typical bird with fairly even brown across the front of the wing and body. In front is a paler bird with contrasting 'elbow' patches and a hint of a dark band on the chest that could fool one or two people into considering Rough-legged Buzzard. The bird on the left has white undertail coverts which contrast with the dark body, where the paler bird actually has a brown undertail.
A better shot of the darker bird. They're a huge favourite of mine and a great success story since the first pair arrived in 2005. There were odd records in autumn/winter before that and as such a sought after sighting. Now you can see them easily any day of the year and about 6 pairs overlap with the area. Despite that it's still exciting to see them and long may it continue.
See what I mean. Here's another one. This looks like a young bird in active wing moult - the primaries (outer wing) are complete but the secondaries (inner wing) are still coming through. Adults are in complete plumage at this time of year. Another clue is the lack of a clear black trailing edge to the wing which is clear in the previous two photos.
Our most overlooked pigeon but for many people the prettiest is the Stock Dove. They're quite shy and tend not to flock in the way Woodies do. Unlike the latter, these tend to feed on weeds and their seeds rather than corn, making them a freindlier prospect for farmers. It also makes them considerably less common.
Ok, this last one is just for the silliness factor. Male Chaffinch stood on the road sign at the Gransmoor Road junction.
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