The harvest has been early this year due to early rain we had followed by lots of sun to ripen the crops. When the fields are ploughed it’s quite a sight to see buzzards, kites and gulls ‘worming’ behind the plough. The churned up worms and grubs make for an easy meal, particularly for the young birds about now.
A newly harvested field is also a great place to watch hunting birds of prey and owls – they will pick off exposed rats, mice, voles and snakes and at night, owls will come in from a fair distance away. Look for them perching on standing bales. But the window is short: most creatures will dash for cover quickly!
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The above photo of gulls worming behind a plough has been kindly supplied by the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
If you have any similar photos, especially of birds of prey following a plough please send them to [email protected]
