Cranes..........at last

Posts on this blog have been rather infrequent recently. I'd like to think this reflects more on the paucity of recent bird news rather my lack of application.
That said, the mystery of the missing cranes (for me at least) was partly solved yesterday when a couple of thousand flew over the house in mid afternoon.  The weather was far from ideal with low cloud and a north easterly wind on which the skeins we removing along at a rapid pace. Some were doing their usual circling until stragglers caught up but then quickly moved on southward....and I don't blame them as the weather has been rather dire here for the last couple of weeks.
Elsewhere, raptors are perhaps newsworthy?  have seen several hen harriers this week and kestrels have been particularly plentiful. The growing flocks of larks on the plains attracted the attention of a female Merlin and a sparrow hawk during the last few days.
Mention of the plains reminds me that the eoliens have finally started to appear there. In less than two weeks the masts of all eight of them have turned that open landscape into one which resembles Fawley oil refinery. I just hope I can learn to love them.