So after a wasted day i got home about 3 and headed straight for Skinburness Marsh. Keith had relocated the Ross's Goose yesterday and i wanted a look. So after half hour i was scanning through the geese when i immediately found the Ross's Goose in the thousands of Barnacles Geese. There were 2 European Whitefronts very near by and i eventually counted 22 Greenland Whitefronts mixed with the 2400 Pink-footed Goose..
I was wanting to get back for the Owls so headed back and saw 7 Shorties and heard 2 Tawnys.
Keith had spoke to the police who had completed a course within the Compound and in one field alone flushed 20 YES 20 Short-eared Owls...... Biggest count ever in Cumbria and got to be close to UK record too.
Ive been in Contact with Derwent Forest Development Consortium who are the developers for the area, the information they provided me was that they cannot touch the site except for a 60 acre Diamond Jubilee Woodland project, this will be sorted in over 18 months time due to them trying to acquire the mineral rights.
So seems its will stay as it is for a little while longer yet....
That is just fantastic Craig. Hope to get across to see the owls one night. I wasn't too far from you this afternoon, I was looking at 3 lucistic Barnies at Cardurnock, mixed in with about 1000 normal, but no Red-breasted. And it wasn't with the 4 to 5000 on the marsh beyond Sandsfield.
ReplyDeleteLets hope that most of the dump can be turned into a reserve. cheers Gordon.
The Red breasted goose is still at caerlaverock i believe Gordon, thanks for the kind comments.
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