28/12/2018 Pevensey Levels - Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owls

Friday 28 December 2018
Pevensey Levels, East Sussex

I dashed out mid afternoon to grab a couple of hours birding on the Pevensey Levels, in the Horse Eye area, hoping to see a Hen Harrier and a Short-eared Owl.  I was rewarded on both counts in what turned out to be a very productive and enjoyable visit.

• I got my  my first sighting of the ringtail Hen Harrier about 2.33pm as it foraged directly in front of us and perhaps 100m away. 
• A  Sparrowhawk was perched on a gate not far from where the Hen Harrier had been seen.
• Around 3.20pm the Short-eared Owls put in an appearance.  There were two flying together and while we were watching them a third flew by.  One perched on the fence not far from a Grey Heron which was perched on a gate.
• The Hen Harrier showed up again soon after this and landed near the reed bed to our right.

courtesy of Chris Ball and Twitter

courtesy of Chris Ball and Twitter

• At 3.40 we had another sighting of 2 Short-eared Owls flying over the same area.
• Finally, as the mist was starting to form, we witnessed an altercation between a Short-eared Owl and a ringtail Hen Harrier.

Terrific! Just what I needed after Xmas - great company with Chris Ball and Pete, cracking birds and ideal weather conditions. 



There can be no better place than this on a lovely December evening.



Final species count for 2018:   258 - my most enjoyable year yet!