Sunday, February 16, 2014
A beautiful day and the downs were calling! We walked from Warren Farm, Streatley, along the Ridgeway to the old railway bridge. The River Pang headwaters have risen again; but they're a bit too early this year for wader migration.
Back near the car park, we counted twenty-five large raptors floating around in the sky and dropping now and then onto the field. I can only think they were worming, unless there has been a sudden outbreak of voles. Three or four were buzzards; the rest were kites.
A little way up the slope was what looked like a large stone; but a closer look revealed a hare, lying ear-flattened and motionless in its form.
It could, I suppose, have been in danger from the proximity of so many birds of prey; after all, buzzards sometimes take rabbits.
And as if they weren't enough, I was about to remark that we weren't going to be lucky with ravens this time when one called, and through the twigs of the hedge I caught a glimpse of two birds flying west.
// posted by Christine @ 3:27 PM 
