16th February - Lyeway

It was a lot milder today, the temperature up to around 12c at midday, so it was no surprise when Helen told me she had seen a Brimstone on the way to Basingstoke this afternoon.

On the way home tonight I decided to come home via Lyeway Lane again. As I came along the lane, a Sparrowhawk came out of the bushes, and flew alongside the car, I was doing around 25 mph and the hawk easily pulled away from me. It turned into the main trees and flushed a large flock of Fieldfares, I didn't see the hawk again, but the Fieldfares flew across the field towards Lyeway Farm. I found the Fieldfares in the trees outside the farm buildings, I counted 33 in the trees. The photo is a little distant, and the quality isn't brilliant as I took it with my phone but it shows some of the birds that remained once I had tried to get too close.

I carried on along the lane and around the bend I flushed a Buzzard from the telegraph pole it flew off over the field towards the farm. I tried to see if the Little Owl was about near the crossroads, but a tractor was trimming the hedges, so there was little chance.  When I ran later in the evening I didn't hear or see any owls. In the morning I had heard one from the house, and we also have a Starling that has obviously been influenced by the local Tawny Owls and Buzzards as it does a very good impression of the owl's "Kevit" and buzzard call around about 6.00 in the morning!