All 3 marsh harriers were in the air this morning, between showers. The marsh harrier soap opera ("Corseside") continues; the ad. ♀ was hunting peaceably close to the 1CY ♂ (Wing-tags); the 1CY ♀ whom she duffed up the other day was present but keeping apart. They sat out the rain in blackthorn bushes.
Lots of teal, mallard and shoveler around, plus the usual snipe parties kept on the move over the reedbed. 2 moorhen, water rail, Cetti's....and a hibernating small tortoiseshell added to the biodiversity inside the hide.
The approach to the hide is a quagmire, a cow having got into the enclosure via the ditch; I have moved a bench across the doorway to prevent it actually getting into the hide, until such time as the NT are able to sort it out.
