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Message: <blockquote data-quote="halftwo" data-source="post: 1821391" data-attributes="member: 45720">Mega Views - Sorry Sid!Second attempt this morning - rain easing a little, cold turned to cool. 'Orrid in other words.Had done my round of the patch and, having promised Mrs.H that we'd be lunching out, I'd just started for home when, stopping one last time to scan when...Out of the eye's corner two familiar forms approached from the north, low. One landed close out of sight, the other in plain view on a near tree. Lucky, I thought: it's not seen me. I stood rooted. It flew - and landed in the tree next to me! The other was in the tree behind - invisible because of the hedge by my side. She (for it was the female) sat and preened ten feet from me and twenty feet up. Then she changed perches to sit even closer - I couldn't believe she couldn't see me! She was so close I could see the black claws on her yellow feet, the yellow cere and nostril, not only every feather - lovely brick red undertail coverts and barred under tail, but the filaments of the feathers! I watched as she bobbed her head searching for prey with her glassy black eyes, framed in yellow.Once one of them made a very soft keening call. I was trapped. Couldn't move; my arms and back aching from looking up so steeply. I decided to edge back a couple of feet where I could perch - so slowly inched that way. I made one foot before they were off - I thought I'd finally been spotted, but no!It was the male who'd made the move, the female following. They flew to the next tree and perched - now about 70 yards distant. I changed position to get a view but they were off again: but not because of me - they flew a circle around the field - one calling loudly - and then he landed in the same tree she'd been occupying before!But not for long - again they set off and landed about a hundred yards away this time - so I finally made my escape and headed homeward.  Mrs.H forgave my tardy arrival as I described my mega views. And lunch was nice too.</blockquote>

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