Steve and myself both decided that our next planned trip would be to look for Hen Harrier at a location Steve had been given down in Wiltshire. It was opposite Compton Farm a place where we had both been on a few of our birding trips out. We followed a narrow road that went on to become a track we followed it as far as we could but it had become unpassable due to the huge ruts and big deep puddles which a 4x4 vehicle would find challenging. Rather than risk grounding Steve's van and being stuck in the middle of nowhere we decided to head back to the main road. We scanned the sky and countryside and talked to one of the locals but we couldn't locate any Hen Harriers.
We found on our map and not to far away from where we were an RSPB reserve called Winterbourne Downs nature reserve, so we decided to go there and have a look rather than waste the day.
We pulled into the car park and noticed a sign where people write their sightings on, it said 45 Stone Curlew sighted only two days previous. I thought it was a wind up but as we both had never seen Stone Curlews before it did get our pulses racing. About fifty yards up from the entrance there was a gap in the trees where you can see the fields opposite. It was a fair old distance but Steve could make out some birds moving in a big area where the vegetation had been cut quite low. He looked through his scope and shouted "Stone Curlew" I then quickly had a look as well and there they were another lifer for both myself and Steve the very strange looking but non the less beautiful Stone Curlew.
our first stone curlew
The image above is a frame grab of one of the birds from a video I digiscoped as trying to photograph them was useless as they were so far away. I've enhanced it on my computer but the actual video was plagued by heat haze which you can see below.
There must have been 30 plus birds there, they were in amongst loads of Lapwings that were also occupying the same area of low vegetation.
We moved up the track further where there was a viewing platform that got you a little closer to the birds.
We walked all the way around the reserve and had a great couple of hours watching these cracking birds.
Stone Curlew are Summer migrants to the UK arriving in March and staying until October so we were lucky to have caught them just before they depart for South West Europe and Africa where they'll spend the Winter.
We decide then to head off to Compton Farm where there was a slim chance we might get to see a Hen Harrier. We parked in the narrow lane above the farm and started scanning the open fields where we couldn't believe our luck as a group of Great Bustards were only about 50 yards from us. Here's a still and some digiscoped videos of these majestic birds.
great bustards
What an incredible encounter that was, we have seen them in the past but never that close.
We thought we would go down to the bottom area of the farm and have a look but as we got into the van Steve spotted a Kestrel on a post just in front of the van. It stayed there just long enough for me to get off a few shots.
kestrel
Looks like a female but seeing how spotty it was it might have been a juvenile.
It then flew up onto a lamppost as we were following it down but then decided to fly off into some distant trees.
the last sighting of our kestrel
At the bottom area of the farm there were some nice Red Kites drifting in the wind.
red kite
We also saw some Corn Buntings in the adjacent trees and on the electrical overhead wires, they were joined by Goldfinches and Linnets.
Here's a picture and a short clip of the Buntings.
corn bunting
We also had a flyby Sparrowhawk but it was far to quick for any pics or vids.
We may have missed the Hen Harriers but what a day it had been a lifer in the form of the Stone Curlew and the remarkably close views of Great Bustard absolutely superb.
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