Raptors at Wallasea Island

18th November 2022

Time for our first winter visit to Wallasea Island to see what is happening on the raptor front. As we pulled into the car park and got out of the car for some breakfast, a male Stonechat appeared and perched high on a Bramble bush to greet us. As I have said many times before we often get our best photos in the car park.

There were good numbers of wildfowl around, but mostly concentrated on the islands in the middle of the lagoons so therefore too distant for any photographs, so shots mostly confined to fly-bys like this Canada Goose.

There were also good numbers of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks around, but not all particularly cooperative. What was unexpected, however, was that some of the Sky Larks were singing, presumably fooled by the double-digit temperatures.

So what about the raptors? Well, it was good to see a number of Kestrels hunting across the island so they appear to be doing well. We also saw at least one possibly two ring-tail Hen Harriers but both very distant, but at least they are around so hopefully better luck next time.

There were also a number of Marsh Harriers, but one pair in particular were putting on a great show. Here are a couple of photos of the female in flight.

But what was intriguing was how they both kept coming back to exactly the same area of reeds and staring intently into the vegetation. They landed on a couple of occasions but it wasn't clear whether they caught anything.

On a few occasions they would hunt together over the same area, and it made me wonder whether they had found a vole run there.

It is an hour before dusk now so time to get into position to see if there are any owls flying. The beauty of Wallasea island is that, although it is a huge site, it is very flat with no trees and therefore by choosing somewhere central it is possible to see most of the reserve. We didn't have to wait for long before a Short-eared Owl appeared but seemed to be more intent on reconnaissance than hunting.

Most Shorties in the past have tended to quarter their patch, but this bird was far-ranging and covering such a large area that it was not possible to be sure if more than one bird was involved.

Let us hope that numbers build up during the winter months.