Christine's walking & birds blog

I went hunting the hen harrier spotted two days ago. A solid dark shape in a birch tree near the road made me pull into a passing place beyond it (where the light was better), and through softly falling rain I snapped my first black grouse - fittingly, a hen.



Further on, I parked the car and followed a track across moorland and through forest, but saw very little. Typically, as I drew near the road on my way back, there were some signs of activity. I heard sweet notes, harsher "churs", and a nice trill - and saw my second singing crossbill this autumn. He was very distant but at least I managed to catch this one with his bill open.

A chaffinch brought my delight to an end. He zoomed in, buzzing the crossbill and landing on the next spruce tip along; and the crossbill flew away. There was no sign of the harrier.