morph / phase ?? this striking juvenile was in with 7 other Common Buzzards over a mown grass field this afternoon; frequently attacked by a typically marked dark juvenile Common but interacting with all the birds this individual may be a local youngster; no wonder people, including some self-proclaimed raptor experts, have trouble with raptors when the same species can look so different at different ages and in different phases / colour morphs / guises --
have been spending a lot of time looking for Pallid Harrier without a lot of success but this Crane was a nice morning distraction -- the deep coral iris was something I had never knowingly seen before
two juveniles together on the Lincs coast -- I had long hoped to get some nice pics of a juvenile BBS but even though I got the trust of these birds eventually they were still tricky in the salicornia and the very strong wind but all in all it was a good wader photo day
