Went to the Lyn Dyke area of the reserve on Tuesday to catch a glimpse of the roosting Long Eared Owls, but no luck, they must have found somewhere else to kip!! Got a good look at them a couple of years ago, as they are fairly regular visitors at this time of year (Oct onwards), but don’t think they were around there last year. They are normally quite shy birds and only congregate to roost. The “ears” are not ears at all but tufts which can be raised to look just like ears. They have been declining in Britain, possibly due to competition from Tawny Owls.
Anyway, I didn’t see them but was surprised to see a number of cormorants perching on electricity pylons and wires. The pictures aren’t very good but gives you an idea.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/f/fairburnings/index.aspx
We were told there were “swarms” of redpolls and mealies, but didn’t see them. However, we did see flocks of redwings, which I was dead pleased about. There’s still plenty of berries on the bushes and trees and they were feeding on these. I have seen redwing, but only from a distance and to get a recognisable photo was brill.
