Do nothing birding

Still stuck indoors as I am with out transport I have been keeping myself amused with some long distance scanning of the hill sides and heather tops I can see from the back door. I don’t have a huge vista before me but it runs to about three and a half miles of hill side that’s about two or so miles away to the east. With the scope zoomed up to twenty or so my first scan produced Ravens scraping and a Hen harrier. I picked up the Harrier as it was exposed on the sky line. Following the tiny bird it moved down the hill and across the heather. It now took some concentration but I managed to follow it for a while. My next attempt produced a ring tail and a mile later a male hunting some rough grass land on lower slopes. An attempt the next day found a Short eared owl. This proved very interesting as it moved south. Approaching the Lyde valley it began to gain altitude at an astonishing rate and it rose and rose upwards it was soon becoming a speck as it very slowly crossed the valley. Excitedly I thought I was about to see A SEO make a display from height with all the wing clapping and diving that entails. I quickly grabbed my camera with the thought that I could get a bit of film…a bad choice cos search as I might I just couldn’t reacquire the bird. This reminds me of the old adage a bird in the hand!!.The next quick scan a while latter produced a Male hunting over the Lyde road and views of very nice Peregrine moving along on the prowl. Its wet and misty to day so I might have a look later if things improve. It’s a kinda do nothing see every thing birding that’s happening here at the moment…a zen and the art of bird watching phase I suspect.