The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Had a run down to Stainby landfill...saw 3 or 4 Kites circling around the site, plus one that sat very obligingly on a fence post at approx 100m, good views through scope; it was wing tagged...could just read a 'V' on one wing. Back through Colsterworth village and got really close up views of a pair of Kites wandering over some gardens. Went on to Dunsby fen and followed a Barn Owl hunting up the dykes for a couple of minutes, on drive back to Dunsby village a male Sparrowhawk was sitting in the hedge no more than 5m away, it flew up circled round in front of me then skimmed off over the fields...really good moment. Probably saw a dozen Buzzards and a similar amount of Kestrels on the round trip.

Cheers,

Oliver.

Oliver - Stainby is a good place to get sightings of wing-tagged kites - you can send details in to colour.ringing@bto.org - did you get details of the tag colour? - the left tag gives the region (white for East Midlands) and the right tag the year of ringing / tagging. If you only saw the bird from one side, the colour strip at the bottom of the tag gives the colour on the other side. I haven't seen a bird with 'V' on a tag (regardless of tag colour) at Stainby in the 3 years I have been watching the site (ie a 'new' bird to me)

Vin