Monday 6 May 2013

6th Garden Marsh Harrier

5th May - I did an early morning stint at the pit hoping for some waders, but yet again, the weather conditions weren't helpful and apart from an Oystercatcher, 1 or 2 Common Sands and a LRP, there wasn't anything else.

Back at home, I was doing various things in the garden and enjoying the lovely sunny day.  I was eating a late lunch sandwich on the patio at 2:30pm and as usual watching the skies to see what was moving when a dark, long winged, long tailed raptor appeared to the east amongst the usual Red Kites and Buzzards.  I was pretty sure it was a Marsh Harrier and had distant views through my bins.  It started thermalling, which gave me time to run to the car for my scope, through which I had much better views of this female Marshy.  It continued to thermal to quite a height with 2 Buzzards, before drifting off to the south-west.  This is my 6th Marsh Harrier from the garden since 2007, though the first since 2010 and also the first Spring bird.

Several Swifts and plenty of hirundines were also going through at quite a height during the afternoon.

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