Time moves on and settling down to blog when we are dree at last takes some doing. So wat is there to write up. Well for what was the most exciting was when I and my friend walked along Somerlyton Staith. The small stuff was about with REED WARBLER, SEDGE WARBLER and BEARDED TIT flying low over the reed. But a first for me was a stack of 10+ RED KITE over Suffolk side. This is the most kite I have ever seen in one place ever. So what a thing to see. So I ask myself what caused such a flock of birds? I think the answer was very apparent as a tractor was working the hey across the river. It could be heard running through the field with a bailer tucked in behind. Birds could be seen flying low towards it and dropping in. Obviously feeding on readily accessible meals. But what caused them to stack is not so easily solved. My opinion for what it is worth was to do with the feeding. You can only eat so much and birds flew above the wood which is a feature of pines, The other odd thing was that they where not alone, because amongst this group was 4 MARSH HARRIER, 2 C-BUZZARD, 2 HOBBY, 2 PERIGRINE, 1 SPARROW HAWK, 1 KESTREL. This is a festival of raptors.
When watching these birds I caught site of an odd feature in one bird which cam be seen in the pic below. Alarm bells ring when you see a tail like this, no fork. Black Kite, well I put it out there and there where numerous suggestions as to its id. Mine was that it was a red kite and after some work and looking through all the pics of the day. (There where a few) I came to the conclusion that both these birds are the same. By the cut away on left wing and over all structure it is amazing that the tail shows such a variable display.
The following was at Carlton Marsh on June 16th. With SCARCE CHASER and also FOUR SPOTTED CHASER.
