A Crane.

UNEXPECTED SIGHTINGS AT SALFLETBY

On Monday evening Jane and I decided to go to the hide at Elm House Farm to see if the Ruffs were still there; no Ruffs but lots of Shelduck and a Lapwing.

As I was watching a hare run down the path in front of the hide  I heard a honking that I associate with Spain and Portugal. The noise came from a Common crane that flew around the ponds escorted by 17 Shelduck. We willed it to land - but no luck. It sailed off north towards Donna Nook. Jane managed to take some photographs to prove to the Bird Recorders that we had seen it. It was seen again on Tuesday in the Covenham area. This is a very rare sighting for Lincolnshire. For once we were in the right place at the right time.

A short time later we became aware of crows mobbing a brown smudge on the ground. This turned out to be a fox sneaking towards the ducks and waders on the ponds. 

As we left, accompanied by bullocks in the field to the right and by cows and calves in the field on the right, five Little egrets  dropped out of the sky. Ray W