After a long and somewhat trying February I was keen to hit the ground running (literally and figuratively) on the first day of the month (which will also be dry, internally at least); so the day and month began with a beach run in cold, bright sunshine, continued with a day's surveying on the Humber, and finished with a much-needed and very peaceful walk up Hoddy Cows Lane and onto the cliffs at Buckton.
Bird highlights included a vocal male
Snow Bunting heading north-east, at least two
Lapland Buntings (heard only, and not in the 'usual' field), a
Water Rail, and most entertainingly, the local
Peregrines - which were with me the whole time, displaying, terrorising and generally putting on a fine show.
At one point, a co-operative hunt of a Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon resulted in the female unintentionally coming at me horizontally at full speed, with the whoosh and air disturbance of its flight path reaching my ear and cheek respectively - an exhilirating moment with a special bird.
