salty
Sunday 24th April 2005, 23:25
after seeing those magnificent marsh harriers the other week at leighton moss, i decided to pay a visit to see some hen harriers today.
after dipping on goshawk earlier, i was after a harrier to cheer me up!
i wont mention the site whereabouts on an open forum, as the hen harriers are having a tough time in some parts of the country, and you cant trust everybody. i hope you lot dont mind this.
anyway, i set off from the goshawk area after an hours waiting, with only great views of siskin and buzzards that were still a worthy site to keep me happy none the less. tapped in the details on the sat-nav and we were off.
a fantastic sunny day with just a slight hint of breeze to cool you down, gave me hope of seeing my target birds. after last weeks osprey washout, i was due a sunny raptor fest to cheer me up!. along the tiny twisty roads we neared the site, and spotted our first big bird of prey circling on the thermals above us. pulling into a lay-by first impressions were buzzard. that was until the bins done there work - female hen harrier, good start!
fantastic close-ups from the cover of the car, meant we watched it circling, hovering and swooping down feet first into the thick heather for it's next meal for around 15 minutes before it left (empty taloned) to another spot. this was brilliant - super close views and we were not even at the site propably yet!. onto the view point we continued.
finally the sat-nav gave the signal 'destination - to the left' and we were in business.
looking around i noticed a couple of other birders along the route, and they were not looking at anything. i hope that single bird was not going to be it!. i got out of the car and started to scan the distance for any signs of life. nowt, until another buzzard took off to my right. bins onto it straight away - hang on, thats a harrier. yep, a miss ID again.
it was hunting, and it wasnt alone - a stunning male hen harrier took off to it's left and joined it in the air! - this is more like it. i grabbed the scope and plonked it straight onto the car roof, no time to set up the tripod. the male was stunning - the pale grey looked almost white as the sun bounced of him.
they both gained height and seperated. i watched the male as he repeatedly plunged feet first into the heather - sending up small flocks of startled sky larks as he done so. eventually he must of caught something, as he flew straight to a clearing of heather and settled down to eat. we watched him eating for around 5 minutes before he was again up in the air and gaining height before dissapearing over a hill. that was it. both gone.
i looked at the birders along the route through my bins to see if they had just enjoyed what i had seen - they were standing away from the scopes with hands in there pockets looking in the opposite direction! - i hadnt the heart to go and tell them what they had missed.
heres a cople of pics i took with my phone, sadly none of the harriers themselves, as the heat haze wouldnt give me a clear pic. thats michelle watching the male eating, and a pic of the stunning scenery and sunshine we enjoyed. ;)
after dipping on goshawk earlier, i was after a harrier to cheer me up!
i wont mention the site whereabouts on an open forum, as the hen harriers are having a tough time in some parts of the country, and you cant trust everybody. i hope you lot dont mind this.
anyway, i set off from the goshawk area after an hours waiting, with only great views of siskin and buzzards that were still a worthy site to keep me happy none the less. tapped in the details on the sat-nav and we were off.
a fantastic sunny day with just a slight hint of breeze to cool you down, gave me hope of seeing my target birds. after last weeks osprey washout, i was due a sunny raptor fest to cheer me up!. along the tiny twisty roads we neared the site, and spotted our first big bird of prey circling on the thermals above us. pulling into a lay-by first impressions were buzzard. that was until the bins done there work - female hen harrier, good start!
fantastic close-ups from the cover of the car, meant we watched it circling, hovering and swooping down feet first into the thick heather for it's next meal for around 15 minutes before it left (empty taloned) to another spot. this was brilliant - super close views and we were not even at the site propably yet!. onto the view point we continued.
finally the sat-nav gave the signal 'destination - to the left' and we were in business.
looking around i noticed a couple of other birders along the route, and they were not looking at anything. i hope that single bird was not going to be it!. i got out of the car and started to scan the distance for any signs of life. nowt, until another buzzard took off to my right. bins onto it straight away - hang on, thats a harrier. yep, a miss ID again.
it was hunting, and it wasnt alone - a stunning male hen harrier took off to it's left and joined it in the air! - this is more like it. i grabbed the scope and plonked it straight onto the car roof, no time to set up the tripod. the male was stunning - the pale grey looked almost white as the sun bounced of him.
they both gained height and seperated. i watched the male as he repeatedly plunged feet first into the heather - sending up small flocks of startled sky larks as he done so. eventually he must of caught something, as he flew straight to a clearing of heather and settled down to eat. we watched him eating for around 5 minutes before he was again up in the air and gaining height before dissapearing over a hill. that was it. both gone.
i looked at the birders along the route through my bins to see if they had just enjoyed what i had seen - they were standing away from the scopes with hands in there pockets looking in the opposite direction! - i hadnt the heart to go and tell them what they had missed.
heres a cople of pics i took with my phone, sadly none of the harriers themselves, as the heat haze wouldnt give me a clear pic. thats michelle watching the male eating, and a pic of the stunning scenery and sunshine we enjoyed. ;)