juvenile Hobby prey

this juv Hobby was catching insect prey over the edge of a plantation and an adjacent stubble field with a rough grass fringe -- I think this is a hornet? seems about the right size and colour although the pics are a bit small -- was surprised to see in a recent note in BB (by Dean N) that Hornet had not been recorded as prey of Hobby as they surely take them ? Hornets are increasing rapidly around N Lincs; had not seen one round here until 2006

Southern Hawker

Canon 1DX, 500 f4II and 1.4III monopod

Flamborough big sea

languishing in the camera for a week -- big seas but not the seabirds hoped for -- went the wrong day as usual

Avocets

a new family arrived recently -- about 700 birds today 

juvenile Ruffs

must have had a decent season somewhere unless all the juvs are concentrating at Alkborough where there have been up to 75 juvs in the last week and 35 adults

Ruff specifics

the male has a single metal ring -- looks like 14 ? 2610?
the reeve has red? over blue on each tibia with red on left tarsus and metal on right tarsus -- pretty sure I have seen this female before at Alkborough --

Black Stork getting worn

found a few pics on the card from last week -- the Sunk Island stork distant in heat haze; primaries look like they are on the break

an odd curlew

doing routine surveys this morning came across an odd looking curlew -- amongst 70 odd curlew it stood out immediately due mainly to its underparts that were distinctly tinged with cinnamon but just as strikingly they had virtually no markings from the streaked breast down to the undertail coverts -- there were on close inspection some fine darker streaks on the flanks and a couple of faint cross bars on the upper rear flanks that were usually hidden by the closed wing; the birds overall plumage tones seemed  slightly more cinnamon than the adjacent curlews and the head pattern also seemed different -- it was into the light and distant so the heavily cropped images are not great but give the impression of the bird - in flight the underwings were strikingly white -- the pristine nature of the wings and tail suggest that it is a juvenile -- interested in any comments -- looking at images on the net could it be a steppe curlew  N a sushkini or could all of these features fall within the range of variation of Eurasian Curlew? is it another Minsmere curlew?