Psilos
Bird Journal |
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Saturday November
4th 2006 |
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"Whoopingly
raptoreous ! " |
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Planned a day at Martinmere
photographing the Whooper swans in flight. Sadly the good weather that
was forecast did not materialise but thankfully the birds more than
made up for the disappointing start. Before we even got to Martinmere
we were treated to a kestrel that was so intent on catching the mouse
that he tolerated us from quite close by as he hovered low over the
grass. |
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Autumn is a good time to watch
raptors at Martinmere. Today there were plenty of kestrels, sparrowhawk,
Buzzard, Marsh harrier and Peregrine falcons around. My
favourite is the Marsh harrier. Today there were three birds present
and one pair gave dramatic aerial displays as they came together and
locked feet. |
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The harriers were certainly
catching plenty of food. Im not sure if he has caught a rat or a vole
here. Having caught his prey he flew off and landed in a rough patch
of grass where he could eat his meal in peace. |
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At one point the harriers even
had to dodge a pair of Peregrine Falcons that were hunting. This bird
kept flying backwards and forwards across the water trying to tire a
Teal. Despite his efforts I never actually saw him catch anything. |
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Late morning and
the Whooper swans were still flying out to feed in the fields. Light
was quite poor but there was a lovely pink/peach glow on the horizon
that was quite nice if you could get the swans flying across at the
right angle. |
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When they fly out
to feed they leave in small groups but as they come back in, usually
around 1.30pm they do so in much bigger groups. Around the cornor they
fly and the whole sky on a low horizon is filled with white. As they
draw closer you can hear their distinctive honk as they call to one
another and flying on past the hide you finally get a feel for the sheer
size of these most impressive birds. |
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For any birdwatcher
today was a great day with some great birds showing well. Photographically
the light was not good and my photos reflected this but the swans will
be here for a couple of months yet so there is always another day. |
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