The moderate Westerly wind continues to batter us on the hill. The surrounding fields, trees and bushes have very few small birds showing, except for a few larks, blackbirds and sparrows. Despite this, today has seen the largest count of Booted Eagles that I have witnessed at Cabranosa, in recent years. The recording teams must have had a difficult time obtaining anything near an accurate figure, since small eagles could be seen around the 360 degree view in considerable numbers. Around midday, Booted Eagles passed over us constantly for around twenty minutes and my estimate over the morning period was at least 100 birds were in the area. While the Booted Eagles far outnumbered other species, we were pleased to see other arrivals such as five Egyptian Vultures. More care is needed now that Common Buzzards are being seen as well as the Honey Buzzards. Some of the Honey Buzzards are particularly showy and leave little doubt:- By afternoon, some raptors were flying very low and I decided on a tour of the fields, looking for resting birds. On the track out of Cabranosa, a real surprise was a Black-winged Kite flying along the hedge. This was a small juvenile Kite, judging by the scaly plumage on the back and an uncommon sight at Cabranosa. It wasn't long before we came across our first Common Buzzard, just off the roadside. In the next field were three Black Kites actively feeding on the ground. We couldn't pass the farm without checking on the resident Little Owls. The local Peregrines resting in the fields. Definitely a memorable day in terms of Booted Eagle numbers. Small numbers of Short-toed Eagles, Black Kites, Sparrowhawks and Goshawk were also seen, as was a Common Swift which hurtled through alone.
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