The offer of a lift along the coast today saw us start at Hunstanton to look for the Eagle Owl that was currently at large there, and apparently had been so for the last few weeks. Checking out where it had been seen last night drew a blank, but upon seeing us walking round the streets with bins and scope one of the local residents came out to tell us that it was currently sitting on a roof top a few streets away.
We made our way there and indeed it was exactly where he had said it was and we proceeded to watch it as it devoured one of the local feral pigeons that it had caught. Then after a little rest it flew across the road over our heads to another roof where it started to get a lot of attention from the local gulls before flying again and tucking itself up against a chimney. Regardless that it was obviously an escape, it was still an excellent bird to see, especially watching it feeding on the pigeon, with a series of shots of it doing so included below.
Although there was no reported sign of yesterdays Collared Fly at Holme, we still called in to have a look just in case and whilst there recorded Nightingale and Whimbrel for the year, plus on the butterfly front the first Wall of the year along with a Green Hairstreak. On the way back we stopped off near North Creake where a Quail was heard briefly singing from the cereal field.
