News of a Long-eared Owl showing well saw me leaving work promptly at 6.30 and driving in the opposite direction from home to Bure Park just minutes away. Thank goodness the clocks have gone forwards, a week ago birding in the evening would have been impossible. The forecast sunshine had failed to materialise and the strong bitter easterly wind was sweeping across the park .It felt like December rather than April. Sensibly, the Long-eared Owl had chosen to roost on the leeward side of a small island in the middle of the little lake, out of the wind and with a watery barrier preventing disturbance by any one who might want to get too close as normally seems to happen with these birds. The owl seemed totally unperturbed by the presence of a small group of appreciative birders and didn't even bother to open its eyes. Embarrassingly, this is the first Long-eared Owl I've seen since 1994! I had forgotten to put the battery back in my camera so you are spared any of my photos today.
A pair of Garganey also gave excellent views on the same lake bringing my total number of summer migrants to 4 (birds that is, not species). Things must change soon especially with news that the Cuckoos are on their way back here
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