Its worth a visit
Merlin pays brief visit to local sewage Works.
28/04/2021 11:47Few thing can be more exiting than having a Merlin flying at full speed over your shoulder before diving headlong into a a feeding party of Black Headed gulls and Carrion Crows.
However that is precisely what happened this morning at 09:25 as I was patiently scanning the filter beds on Dewsbury Sewage beds on the local sewage works.If my personal experience was anything to go by it is easy to imagine why records for this species are in short supply as my observation only lasted for around 10 seconds as all the birds on the sewage beds took to the skies and the Merlin just kept on going Westwards at breakneck speed presumably towards its breeding grounds around Huddersfield and beyond.
On a grey and cold morning where bird song was in very short supply at least 3 Whitethroats are in full song along with3 Chiff Chaff,4 Blackcap and 3 Willow Warblers.
One thing iv never experienced before occured this morning when I observed a Grey Squirrel attacking a very young Rabbit and succesfully subdueing it before dragging it off into a nearby copse presumably to devour itself or to feed a drey full of hungry youngsters.How it managed to get the rabbit into its dreyI dont know as it was struggling to drag the rabbit along the woodland path let alone climb a tree.
Hirrundines numbered around 110 over the sewage farm filter beds with approx 45 House martins and some 65 Swallows
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