What a lark!

Having realised that I have only wandered around the fields on my patch a couple of times this year, decided it was time to start. Open skies, fields, loads of hedgerows, farm buildings...it must be dripping with migrants.

Off to a good start with a male Reed Bunting on the long hedge (different bird to the bright male on the wet field), then a couple of Red legged Partridges...looking good, looking good!

Chiffchaff near Church farmhouse...then nothing much for best part of an hour. All the fields with gorse hedging (perfect for Chats, Wryneck and Ouzels) - empty. The recently ploughed fields (Stone Curlew anyone?) - empty.

Only wandering back past Church farmhouse, still diligently scanning the empty fields, did I find a small flock of feeding Larks in the field to the west of the track. That will be the field looking directly into the sun. My brain went something like this:

Birds 1,2,3,4 are Skylarks.
Wait. What's the 5th bird?
Skulking, not upright and proud like the Skylarks.
Pipit?
No, Lark.
Small, dumpy, bright super'.
Buff streaky flanks.
Come on, fly and call...and please move out of the sun!


5 minutes or so later 2 of the Skylarks fly around me and drop down over a small rise. I move to get a less nasty sun angle.
Now can't find any of the brown Larks in the brown field.
Bugger!


Wait, that's a Little Owl calling behind me.
Now, where have the Larks gone?

Unfortunately, I had to get back home, so this Lark was one that got away. Probably just a runt Skylark but may have been a Woodlark...

Anyway, the long overdue Little Owl was my 90th species on the patch and 74th for the year.

Guess I need to spend more time in the fields.

-!-