Last week I went to the Isle of Sheppey and stood on a mound as the light faded.
Red-legged Partridges and Pheasants added their non-native voices to that of a Robin (Britain’s favourite bird) as the light faded. Two Green Sandpipers flew up from the channel in front of me and I was pleased that I recognised their call before seeing the birds. Their white rumps shone out through the gloom.
All very well, but I was at a raptor watchpoint and I was quite keen to watch some raptors. A Marsh Harrier flew past, quite high up and apparently making a bee-line for the far end of the fleet. Following its trajectory I could see a few more harriers, probably all Marsh Harriers, in the distance. They were far away but over-wintering Marsh Harriers are a fairly recent phenomenon and so watching them come into roost is a new experience.
A Buzzard flew past too.
And a Sparrowhawk.
And a few more Marsh Harriers.
I was hoping for Hen Harrier but if I saw one it (or they) were too far away to identify.
At one point, in the far distance, I counted 39 harriers in the air together – quite a sight. Never done that before. You might want to take a look too.
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Ok you win on the numbers Mark, I only managed three Marsh yesterday on Thorne Moors …. BUT for around ten minutes I was mesmerised by the twists and turns of a ‘silver ghost’ as it quartered the moor, the crisp grey, white and ink-dipped wing-tips were just wonderful. Hen have been regularly observed since the beginning of October, but yesterday’s lunch time views were magical! Beats christmas shopping!
One that got away – a glimmer of hope – here’s to a better year for the species and to a heightened awareness of their plight.
Bog-trotter – thank you. I am hoping for a better showing of Hen Harriers this evening…
Right county, wrong place! At Stodmarsh today five Hen Harriers (three of them being adult males) were reported leaving & returning to roost plus 11 Marsh Harriers, 2 Short-eared Owls and a Barn Owl (unfortunately, not by me). Wonderful, but a far cry from the numbers seen decades back when double figure counts were not unusual (and my personal best was c25!).