Army Ornithological SocietySPTA West
Hen Harrier Survey
Currently there is no non-exercise movement allowed on the Plain. This threatend to cancel the monthly Hen Harrier survey the Conservation Group conducts each winter. Fortunately we were given one window of opportunity last night as troops moved back into their main bases. It turned out a nice evening with blue skies and a fantastic sunset with red splashed around the cloudless sky. I was able to deploy 5 point surveys from the Conservation Group though only one saw any Hen Harriers. Most groups did see Short-eared Owls that had been missing since the snow arrived. The snow is long gone and the owls are back with 7 being seen. I located myself near a large Rook colony and the most notable birds were 2 Yellowhammers; it was very quiet in my location except for MAN trucks and Mastiffs. The Starlings, 7 km to our north put on a fantastic display and there must have been between 500,000 and a million birds in the sky forming equisite patterns before roosting in the scrub. This is the first time that I have seen them all up this winter. Unfortunately I cannot get close until mid March as the red flags are constantly flying until then.
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