its all in the iris - male Marsh Harrier

harriers are wise to avoid close encounters with human beings and getting close enough is usually a case of a well appointed hide or using the car -- this wintering male has a territory based on a breeding site way from the communal roosts -- while sitting in the car a cracking Water Pipit landed on a pool nearby but didn't linger long enough; a known wintering site but seeing them in the saltmarsh is always a real problem