| Friday 30th November |
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I visited Farmoor this morning. The usual residents were present on the water. The solitary Canada Goose was
still on F1; presumably it can't fly. At Pinkhill there were quite a few Fieldfares and Redwings
in the hedgerow, but they were hard to approach. I saw a Water Rail swimming across the
small pond in front of the hide. There was a Great Black-backed Gull on the wave wall at the north end of F1.
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Redwing, Farmoor, 30-Nov
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Water Rail, Farmoor, 30-Nov
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Wren, Farmoor, 30-Nov
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| Redwing | Farmoor |
Water Rail | Farmoor |
Wren | Farmoor |
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| Thursday 29th November |
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A Common Frog was out and about in the garden this evening.
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| Wednesday 28th November |
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I spotted a Hedgehog at the front of the house this evening. As it was dark I couldn't be sure of its size, but it didn't seem to be very big.
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| Tuesday 27th November |
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There were around a dozen Goldfinches in the Ash tree at the front of my house this morning.
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| Monday 26th November |
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There was a Wren in the garden this morning.
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| Thursday 22nd November |
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A sunny but cold start. I headed to over to Farmoor (my first visit for 3 weeks). There were lots of the usual residents
on the water, but nothing out of the ordinary. A couple of Grey Wagtails provided a bit of colour.
Along the river there were quite a few Redwings, probably at least twenty. As usual at this time of year
they were very wary. The feeders at the Pinkhill hide were well patronised by Blue and Great Tits,
and Reed Buntings, but although I stayed in the hide for half an hour no Water Rails turned up. I also saw a
Green Woodpecker. At 11:30 a bank of fog rolled in, so I headed back to the car park. On the way I noticed a female
Tufted Duck with a lot of white at the base of her bill - rather like a female Scaup.
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| Saturday 17th November |
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Today was our last day in Spain, but with an afternoon flight there was time for an hour's birding at the
Embalse de Arrocampo near Almarez. As we were nearing the car park a Black-winged Kite
was spotted, but as usual it was hard to approach. I managed a record shot through the front window of the bus.
The extensive reed beds here were unlike other habitats we'd seen during the week. A Water Rail
was heard, a group of five Hoopoes were seen on the ground, and we eventually had glimpses
of a couple of Western Swamp-hens. I saw a Speckled Wood here, probably
my last butterfly of the year. Finally, as we approached Madrid airport, I spotted a trio of Monk Parakeets
flying over.
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Black-winged Kite, Almaraz, Spain, 16-Nov
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| Black-winged Kite | Almaraz, Spain |
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| Friday 16th November |
Today started sunny, but by the time we'd got to the Bel&eacte;n Plain it had clouded over. The first stop was near a farm building.
A Black Redstart, a Serin, a Southern Grey Shrike and a
distant Stone-curlew were seen here. A bit further down the road there were about ten Stone-curlews
together in a field. Then we saw some Corn Buntings and Black-bellied Sandgrouse,
a Kestrel and several Calandra Larks. The third stop was at a farm building.
At the bottom of the slope a large group of Griffon Vultures and a few Cinereous Vultures
were feeding on a carcass. As we continued down the road some Rock Sparrows were seen in roadside trees, and
a Green Sandpiper flew up from a pool.
Back on the main road we were nearly at Torrecillas de la Tiesa when Simon spotted an immature Spanish Imperial Eagle
perched on top of a pole. This bird stayed around for quite a while, giving great views, before flying off. Lunch was taken in a wooded
area, but there was hardly anything to see there. The final stop was at a pond at Belén, north-east of Trujillo. A
Black-winged Stilt was seen here, as well as a couple of Green Sandpipers.
A walk near the hotel turned up a flock of Iberian Magpies, but as usual they were wary and hard to approach.
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Black Redstart, Belén plain, Spain, 16-Nov
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Spanish Imperial Eagle, Torrecillas de la Tiesa, Spain, 16-Nov
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Iberian Magpie, Viña Las Torres, Spain, 16-Nov
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| Black Redstart | Belén plain, Spain |
Spanish Imperial Eagle | Torrecillas de la Tiesa, Spain |
Iberian Magpie | Viña Las Torres, Spain |
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We had a trip into Trujillo later, to see lots of Spotless Starlings coming in to roost on the roofs of buildings. A Hoopoe
flew over the main square, and there were also lots of Crag Martins roosting on the walls of buildings.
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Crag Martin, Trujillo, Spain, 16-Nov
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| Crag Martin | Trujillo, Spain |
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| Thursday 15th November |
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The first stop today was on the plains of Campo Lugar. There wasn't a great deal of note here. A Common Starling
was the most interesting, as it is not a common bird in Spain. A Hoopoe was also seen. The second stop was in the rice fields
along the Rio Ruecas between Madrigalejo and Palazuelo. There were lots of Common Cranes here. We had a bit of a walk along a
track, but this didn't turn up much except for calling Cetti's Warblers. A flock of
seventeen Great Bustards was seen. We got back in the vehicles and headed further west. There were a few
White Storks in the fields and we saw a Great White Egret. We stopped by an agricultural building.
We found Common Waxbills quite easily, but Red Avadavats were rather harder to locate. A quartet
of Tree Sparrows flew over.
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Common Crane, Madrigalejo, Spain, 15-Nov
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Common Crane, Madrigalejo, Spain, 15-Nov
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White Stork, Madrigalejo, Spain, 15-Nov
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| Common Crane | Madrigalejo, Spain |
Common Crane | Madrigalejo, Spain |
White Stork | Madrigalejo, Spain |
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Lunch was taken in dehesa habitat at Moheda Alta. There were lots of Autumn Buttercups in flower, but only bees seemed to
be taking advantage. A few butterflies were seen: Red Admiral, Clouded Yellow, Large White and
Small Copper. A few Southern Migrant Hawker dragonflies were flying around, and I found an
immature Red-veined Darter. There were several Chiffchaffs active in the oak trees. Each tree
appeared to have its own family of Moorish Geckos in residence. After lunch we drove about 1km to a bird hide overlooking rice fields.
On getting out of the bus a rather faded Broad Scarlet and a fairly fresh Black Percher were sunning themselves
in the vegetation. There wasn't too much of interest on the rice fields, with the exception of a solitary Black Stork. Walking along a sheltered
hedgerow turned up a number of Epaulet Skimmer dragonflies and a Small White.
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Black Percher, Moheda Alta, Spain, 15-Nov
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Epaulet Skimmer, Moheda Alta, Spain, 15-Nov
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Red-veined Darter, Moheda Alta, Spain, 15-Nov
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| Black Percher | Moheda Alta, Spain |
Epaulet Skimmer | Moheda Alta, Spain |
Red-veined Darter | Moheda Alta, Spain |
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We returned to the fields to the south-east of Madrigalejo, which is a major pre-roost location for Common Cranes. We
were not disappointed, as there were thousands of them either flying in large flocks, or sitting on the ground. A flock of seventeen
Little Bustards went almost overhead. A patch of sunflowers had attracted a mixed flock of finches, and we saw
Goldfinch, Brambling, Linnet, Chaffinch and
Greenfinch here. A flock of around fifty Cattle Egrets were seen, but they were quite distant.
As we were heading back to the main road we found around fifty White Storks in a field.
In the evening we found more Natterjack Toads and Marbled Newts in the hotel gardens.
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Natterjack Toad, Viña Las Torres, Spain, 15-Nov
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Marbled Newt, Viña Las Torres, Spain, 15-Nov
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| Natterjack Toad | Viña Las Torres, Spain |
Marbled Newt | Viña Las Torres, Spain |
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| Wednesday 14th November |
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This morning was nice and sunny. We headed northwards to the Monfragüe National Park, the main protected area in Extremadura.
We stopped at the El Salto del Gitano cliff. Here there were many Griffon Vultures and a few Cinereous Vultures
soaring, and more were perched on the cliffs. Some Griffons flew past below us. A pair of Peregrine Falcons
was also present, soaring up the cliff faces, but we didn't see them catch anything. There were lots of Crag Martins and a
very obliging male Blue Rock Thrush. A Rock Bunting made a brief appearance. There were a few
Red Deer on the slopes on the other side of the gorge.
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Cinereous Vulture, Monfragüe NP, Spain, 14-Nov
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Griffon Vulture, Monfragüe NP, Spain, 14-Nov
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Blue Rock Thrush, Monfragüe NP, Spain, 14-Nov
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| Cinereous Vulture | Monfragüe NP, Spain |
Griffon Vulture | Monfragüe NP, Spain |
Blue Rock Thrush | Monfragüe NP |
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We headed to Villarreal De San Carlos for a coffee, and then on to our lunch stop at the La Tajadilla viewpoint. The scrub beside the road
turned up a few butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Cleopatra, Lang's Short-tailed Blue,
Red Admiral and Speckled Wood. A dead Horseshoe Whip Snake was an interesting
find. In the car park a couple of Dung Beetles were busy trundling their balls of dung off somewhere. Finally we drove to
La Portilla del Tietar, finding several Red Deer on the way. We then had quite a long wait until a
Spanish Imperial Eagle turned up to inspect its roosting site. While we were waiting, a couple of
Jays and a party of Iberian Magpies went past. Eventually the eagle did appear.
Unfortunately the light had deteriorated by this time, so it was hard to take a good photo (and the bird didn't come very close).
But it was possible to see the main diagnostic feature of this species, the white leading edges of its wings.
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Horseshoe Whip Snake, Monfragüe NP, Spain, 14-Nov
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Red Deer, Monfragüe NP, Spain, 14-Nov
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Spanish Imperial Eagle, Monfragüe NP, Spain, 14-Nov
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| Horseshoe Whip Snake | Monfragüe NP, Spain |
Red Deer | Monfragüe NP, Spain |
Spanish Imperial Eagle | Monfragüe NP |
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In the evening we found a number of juvenile Natterjack Toads and adult Marbled Newts in the hotel garden.
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| Tuesday 13th November |
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This morning we headed west of Trujillo to the Santa Marta de Magasca plain. Unfortunately it was quite foggy, so initially we could only make
out a few Common Cranes on the ground. Thekla Larks
were quite numerous and a Southern Grey Shrike gave reasonably close views. A rather greyish
Red Fox also gave good views. Eventually the fog cleared, so we moved on a bit and found three Great Bustards
and two Little Bustards. There were lots of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse airborne, but none were found
on the ground. A few Black-bellied Sandgrouse were found, but they were very distant.
Calandra Larks were quite numerous. As the day warmed up a large number of small brown moths with pale markings appeared,
and were very busy searching for females in the grassland. They rarely settled, but eventually I got some pictures of one (later identified as Rambur's Pellicle). Raptors seen here
were a Golden Eagle, Griffon Vultures, Cinerous Vultures and Red Kites.
A group of about seven Great Bustards flew in and landed on a ridge, but were still pretty distant. As we were returning to the
minibuses a Clouded Yellow was seen.
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Rambur's Pellicle, Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain, 13-Nov
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Corn Bunting, Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain, 13-Nov
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Clouded Yellow, Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain, 13-Nov
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| Rambur's Pellicle | Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain |
Corn Bunting | Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain |
Clouded Yellow | Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain |
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We stopped in the village of Santa Marta de Magasca for a coffee, before heading off to our lunch stop at the Rio Tamuja. A couple of
Iberian Pond Turtles were spotted sitting on a rock in the river. This was a good place for insects. Butterflies seen were Clouded Yellow,
Small White, Small Heath, Lang's Short-tailed Blue, Red Admiral
and Cleopatra. Dragonflies seen were Common Darter, Southern Migrant Hawker
and Western Willow Spreadwing. During lunch a Woodlark flew over, as did a few Griffon Vultures
and a Bonelli's Eagle.
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Small Heath, Rio Tamuja, Spain, 13-Nov
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Lang's Short-tailed Blue, Rio Tamuja, Spain, 13-Nov
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Common Darter, Rio Tamuja, Spain, 13-Nov
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| Small Heath | Rio Tamuja, Spain |
Lang's Short-tailed Blue | Rio Tamuja, Spain |
Common Darter | Rio Tamuja, Spain |
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After lunch we headed back up onto the pseudosteppe, where the most notable species seen was a Golden Eagle. It was being
mobbed by a Sparrowhawk! A bit further a long the road a pair of Little Owls were spotted
on a stone wall. Then Simon found a group of vultures on the ground, feeding on a sheep carcass. A ring-tailed
Hen Harrier made a brief appearance, before a small group of Great Bustards flew over. I was able to get a few
shots of one of the latter. The vultures
were mostly Griffon, with just a couple of Cinereous. Seen in the same area were a
Stonechat and a fresh-looking Brown Argus.
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Great Bustard, Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain, 13-Nov
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Stonechat, Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain, 13-Nov
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Brown Argus, Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain, 13-Nov
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| Great Bustard | Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain |
Stonechat | Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain |
Brown Argus | Santa Marta de Magasca, Spain |
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| Monday 12th November |
It was raining this morning, but we headed for Trujillo to visit the supermarket. Near the hotel I saw Southern Grey Shrike,
Black Redstart, Spotless Starling and Stonechat. At a pond in a park in a very wet
Trujillo were two Little Ringed Plovers, several Little Grebes, a Snipe and a
Green Sandpiper. A Cetti's Warbler was heard.
After drying off in the supermarket we headed for the Alcollarin reservoir. Although it had stopped raining the light was terrible and there was
a cold wind. There were many Great Crested and Little Grebes on the reservoir, with just one
Black-necked Grebe. Despite the chilly wind there were several Crag Martins and
juvenile Red-rumped Swallows flying around over the reservoir wall. There were a couple of Red-legged Partridges
and a flock of Serin in the trees below the wall. There were a few Pintail on the reservoir. A flock of around
a hundred Egyptian Geese flew in and landed at the water's edge. A Dartford Warbler was spotted in some
scrub.
We drove round to the southern end of the reservoir. There were several Great White Egrets, Little Grebes
and Grey Herons here. A Kingfisher flew over, and Iberian Magpies were also in the area.
While we were having lunch it brightened up a bit, and a Speckled Wood put in an appearance. A few dragonflies also turned up: a
Common Darter, a Southern Migrant Hawker and a Western Willow Spreadwing. After lunch
an adult Bonelli's Eagle showed up - a very impressive bird. Some Common Cranes flew over. A Lang's Short-tailed Blue
was found later in the afternoon.
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Crag Martin, Alcollarin Res, Spain, 12-Nov
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Red-rumped Swallow, Alcollarin Res, Spain, 12-Nov
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Great White Egret, Alcollarin Res, Spain, 12-Nov
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| Crag Martin | Alcollarin Res, Spain |
Red-rumped Swallow | Alcollarin Res, Spain |
Great White Egret | Alcollarin Res, Spain |
Speckled Wood, Alcollarin Res, Spain, 12-Nov
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Bonelli's Eagle, Alcollarin Res, Spain, 12-Nov
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Thekla Lark, Alcollarin Res, Spain, 12-Nov
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| Speckled Wood | Alcollarin Res, Spain |
Bonelli's Eagle | Alcollarin Res, Spain |
Thekla Lark | Alcollarin Res, Spain |
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| Sunday 11th November |
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Today I flew out to Spain for a week's birding with Naturetrek in Extremadura. On the way to the hotel a few birds were seen, including
Spanish Sparrow, Crested Lark, Spotless Starling,
White Stork and Common Crane.
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| Saturday 3rd November |
I visited three sites today. The first was Buckland Warren, a place I hadn't been to before. In the field before the wooded area
I saw two Stock Doves in amongst the mixed corvid flock. There were various tits (including two Long-tailed
and one Coal) and a Goldcrest in the wood. A Jay flew across the ride.
I also saw two Muntjacs.
Moving on to Hackpen Hill on the Ridgeway. It was rather hard to find anything other than small flocks of Starlings,
but eventually I saw a couple of Meadow Pipits, a flock of around sixteen Linnets and a
Great Spotted Woodpecker. Birds of prey were four Red Kites, two
Buzzards and a Kestrel.
Finally I headed to Blewbury and drove up the Woodway Road onto the Downs. This was another place I hadn't been to before, although it is
quite close to Aston Upthorpe Downs. The reason for going was that a Richard's Pipit had been found there
yesterday. It was still showing when I arrived, but it was too far away for photography. By about 2pm it had disappeared from view. I also saw
a flock af around thirty Fieldfares fly over.
Back at home I heard a loud commotion from the House Sparrows in the garden, and looked out to see a male
Sparrowhawk perched on the feeder pole. Of course, it didn't hang around while I got the camera.
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Linnet, Hackpen Hill, 03-Nov
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Starling, Hackpen Hill, 03-Nov
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Red Kite, Hackpen Hill, 03-Nov
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| Linnet | Hackpen Hill |
Starling | Hackpen Hill |
Red Kite | Hackpen Hill |
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