Merlin chasing Skylark - and Skylark got away by using its gifted ascension methods....

 

Meadow Pipit - Photo thanks to Phil Slade

If you want the most up to date blogs about birding and vismig and other stuff please click over this link:

Early movement and Spring Bird Migration over Burton In Kendal.

Merlin chasing Skylark, yet Skylark evades capture by clever tactic

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Notes on Lapwings (3rd March 2021) Demise (local 1960s onward) and also Winter Roosting on Factory Roofs in East Lancs between 1980s and 2000 see below the links:

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12th Feb 2021 - Just starting to see new growth etc

Thr 11th February 2021 - Early movement and Spring Bird Migration over Burton In Kendal.

Tues 9th February 2021 - Intertwined

17th Dec 2020 - Finding a new Polypodium cambricum on HRoof Crags

Thursday 19th November 2020 - Nice stroll or wander with fabulous wonders and my December copy for the local magazine - SEE BLOG BELOW THESE LINKS.....

CHECKING OUT SOUTHERN POLYPODY AND BLACK SPLEENWORT PLUS FUNGI, FUNGI AND MORE FUNGI - Click here

Another recent blog on"The best moments of vis so far this year - click here

 2020 Visible Bird Migration records 

"Strange Polypodium Interjectum found in Burton (17th Oct 2020)

Cloud and Sunrise photo blog - click here

The new Orchid book "Britains Orchids" by Sean Cole and Mike Waller - please click this link for details.

Varieties of our local Hutton Roof Gentians and the reason for the 50/50 Purple and White, plus my research survey results. Plus "Upland Enchanters Nightshade (circae x intermedia)

 More Autumn Gentian photos (2020) can be seen here

Dark Stemmed Hybrids (Epipactis schmalhauseneii - helleborine led)

Primula vulgaris and Primula veris (Primrose and Cowslip)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) and Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)

Northern Greenland Wheatear (Oenanthe o. leucorrhoa)

Rb Fotoman Close Up photos

Fieldfare numbers of Wintering Birds almost non existent Sth Cumbria

2020 Visible Spring Bird Migration Counts at Burton In Kendal

 Dryopteris sub-montana (Rigid Buckler Fern) on Hutton Roof, Cumbria

 Polygonatum odoratum (Angular Solomons Seal) on Hutton Roof, Cumbria.

Starlings

A Beech Mast Year

Chaffinch - large numbers overwintering/high beech mast yields 

Crossbills (chicks in late December etc)

Holly Ferns on Hutton Roof and how they are fairing

2019 a exceptional year for the berries

A very special Orchid - A branched Epipactis atrorubens

Redwing at roost (Birdy Brow-Kemple End) 

Linnets - Extroadinary High numbers

It came back to me this morning whilst out vismigging, remembering one special occasion down in the Grane Valley, Haslingden, East Lancs. Probably from around the mid 1980s, I would set up my old bivvy to keep out the winds and would sit in the entrance looking out, it was quite remote were I did vismig in fields with little conifer plantations, occasionally a noisy car would pull up on the nearby main road and guys would jump out and go in search of magic mushrooms which they successfully found. But that is not really the point of my memories. They are from that day when I saw and heard a Skylark in much distress has it was being chased along the moorland edge by a Merlin, I watched them for about 100 yards and the Skylark suddenly went into a ascend in short spirals, just like a Skylark does, the Merlin also tried to catch the bird, but his spirals were far to large and could not gain the same speed of ascend, and soon the Merlin gave up whilst the Skylark lived to see another day. How clever nature can be.