juvenile Hen Harrier

I came across this harrier first thing in the morning but it inevitably flew off -- bumped into it again about 2 miles away later in the morning and then it was back in the original spot early afternoon so I staked out the spot for the next 5 hours and eventually it returned but by then there was just no light! I was on 2000 ISO and still getting 1/800th sec on the shutter -- when it landed rather close by there were thin stems of white grass between me and it -- amazing how the AF in a DSLR can pick up grass stems about 3mm across and yet it can miss a bird the size of a small dustbin!

Hen Harrier 2

Herring Gull juv

Marsh Harrier 1cy

its amazing how quickly these birds become worn having only fledged about 12 weeks ago --

Golden Plovers

up on the Wolds behind Barton Goldies are sporadic and usually distant but these were a little closer to the road at the weekend

Pectoral Sandpiper records

an elusive Pec at Alkborough for the last 2 days allowed some recored shots (the big lens was at home!) -- as with so many tame waders it was the companions, Redshank, Lapwings and Dunlin, that were spooking the bird and of course the odd Peregrine! -- hoping to add some passing Sandhill Crane images later in the week!

Water Rail

difficult to get things just right on these tricky reed dwellers but these are probably my best shots yet -- not often you see the underwing pattern a good ID feature when they fly over at night!

Water Rail 2

Shovelers

distant Beardies

odds and sods

Glossy Ibis Lincs

Lincs finally got in on the ibis invasion with this first-winter bird present for a week -- its choice of feeding companions, guinea fowl and chickens may be a bit unusual but it is in deepest Lincs