Local Tawny Owl in the day and rain!!

First day back at work and a TAWNY OWL flew across the road in front of the car in Ashleigh Green.
It was daylight and raining!
A rare sighting for me

Mallorca!!!

A great week in the blue skies of Northern Mallorca reaped some great birds as well as family fun (minus the midgie bites and the tourists)
S'Albufera reserve walking distance from the villa produced great birds - and a resident
SARDINIAN WARBLER was in the back garden!!
Other lifers encountered:
AUDOUINS GULL 
BALEARIC WARBLER
PURPLE GALLINULE
ELEONORAS FALCON
PURPLE HERON
NIGHT HERON
Check out http://yakkafoz.smugmug.com/Nature/Birding-Abroad/Mallorca-May-2016 for more pics... Here's a taster!!

Sardinian warbler at Playa du Muro by the villa

 

Audouins Gull on the North Coast

 

Eleonora's Falcon on the cliffs - one handed on a boat with a beer in hand!!

 

Purple Heron at S'Albufera

 

Purple Gallinule at S'Albufera 

 

Me & HSF  in the heat 

 

Balearic Warbler at Son Real 

Zitting Cisticola - love this little tweeter!! 

 

Night Heron at S'Albufera 

 

Great Granvilles! A woodpecker !

This morning I finally saw a GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKER feeding on the suet! Very exciting.
Also a JACKDAW fed from the same suet minutes after



Momentous event ! GSW at the feeder

The woodpecker returned again on the 2nd June to the front feeder 

Then a mob / family / gang of carrion crows rampaged the feeders even knocking over the metal owl and stealing a metal suet feeder! Anna got the responsible family on film . The GSW has not been seen since

Awesome buzzard action

Driving back from work this evening I spotted a BUZZARD being hassled by a MAGPIE. The buzzard then dropped down into the road side grass and came up and across the path of the car with a rabbit in its claws! I could hear the rabbit squealing over the top of my audio book and closed windows..  Obviously unpleasant for the rabbit but a great sight. I haven't seen something like that since Rob & I and a few others drove back from Snowdon at some silly early morning hour and saw a buzzard catch a snake .

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Watford

After a 5 stop hit I connected in photographic form with the flighty LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER near the car park. Yesterday it flew over calling after a good drum...
Nice to be able to hear the difference to the GSW in both call and drum.
3 times I was asked what was going on - bunch of blokes staring at a tree. I told the general public we were watching the tree grow but no one believed me.
Certainly pulling a good twitch - 5 mins from my desk what a result . I even ate my lunch during the last twitch..

What a beauty! Male LSW in Herts

Roseate Tern ressie mega AND SEO!!!

Just as we returned from Norfolk there was a tweet about a ROSEATE TERN at Wilstone. It was sitting on the path near the car park so I couldn't resist a quick trip out. On the way there was a diversion up by Pitstone - where two SHORT EARED OWLS have been staying. Quite a hit for local birders!
Unfortunately the Tern passed away after being battered on arrival and then attacked by gulls. It was taken away to be cared for but alas didn't make it.

A rare sight indeed - Roseate Tern first ever at the ressie

SEO at Pitstone

Perched and alert

Yellowhammer sitting proud

Norfolk family break

Fab trip to Norfolk with Anna & Harry 

More info to follow