Moody sunrise

I only had limited time on Friday, so I was at Crook Ness before dawn and was able to enjoy a wonderfully atmospheric and rather moody sunrise. 

Redwings were on the move with several unseen flocks uttering their wheezing calls as they moved overhead and my watch yielding 87 heading SW. A trickle of finches was unremarkable both in terms of species composition and numbers. Offshore was also quiet, although two Eider were the first I have seen here for a while. A Lesser Whitethroat looked 'interesting' and potentially a blythi. Doubtless the same bird from earlier in the week it again eluded clinching views or confirming calls. 

At 0820 hrs I picked up a ringtail Hen Harrier heading south. It was given a great deal of grief by the local crows that harassed it constantly as it slowly headed south along the ridge. With rather orange toned underparts this was clearly a juvenile and a very welcome patchwork challenge year tick. A quick check of the ringing site was fairly quiet, but a Yellow-browed Warbler was still present along with a few Goldcrests and a few Redwings.

Redwing