In search of elusive Owls took me on to the nearby Moors of Huddersfield in what turned out to be a very, very, windy and chilly evening. Lapwing, Curlew and Crows were braving the wind but the elusive Long eared Owl took a a while to find, I’d almost given up up hope when a fellow birder found one tucked up against a tree trunk very much keeping out of the wind and difficult to find in conifer trees with the branches being close together.
I decided on going back to the car, get out the wind and have a warm before moving onto the next owl site. On my way back I was lucky enough to find two Little Owls, sitting happily in a field tucked in out of the wind behind one of the dry stone walls, two out of the three Owl species I wanted to see tonight.
Took a good walk to the site of the Barn Owls of which I was hoping to see, with very little reward seen on the way too the site, too windy. An hour at the site produced no Barn Owl but a good size flock of Redwing/Fieldfare mix was a nice bonus, Meadow pipits , Curlews and Mallards battled the winds as they flew up to the nearby reservoir, with a Grey Heron flying down the valley, struggling all the way.
Another visit when its not windy I think may give me the bonus I’m looking for with maybe a few summer migrants thrown in.
Bird List :- Crow, Curlew, Fieldfare, Grey Heron, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Little Owl, Long eared Owl, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Pheasant, Redwing, Woodpigeon (14)
Click on Image to make larger
Huddsbirder 