I didn't get any farther than the garden and television to day. I did take the opportunity to see Spring Watch and it definitely showed both sides of watching birds in the garden. The joy of watching them
fledge and the disappointment of discovering that some or all of a brood haven't made it. The last few days will have been very difficult for nesting birds with so much rain. Some won't make it but many species will have second broods, although not Blue Tits.
One of the star birds tonight was a female Marsh Harrier, and it wasn't many years ago that it took a trip to
Minsmere in Suffolk to see them in the breeding season. Who can forget the gentleman of mature years who used to be a volunteer warden at the Island Mere Hide and give a commentary, "Male Marsh Harrier passed no 20", as a harrier flew past one of the markers.
Now Kent is a strong hold and both the
Stour Valley and
Sheppey offer the opportunity to see these magnificent birds.
One of the star birds tonight was a female Marsh Harrier, and it wasn't many years ago that it took a trip to Minsmere in Suffolk to see them in the breeding season. Who can forget the gentleman of mature years who used to be a volunteer warden at the Island Mere Hide and give a commentary, "Male Marsh Harrier passed no 20", as a harrier flew past one of the markers.
Now Kent is a strong hold and both the Stour Valley and Sheppey offer the opportunity to see these magnificent birds.
3 comments:
Great photos! It's nice to see the Marsh harrier spreading. When I went to Minsmere earlier in the year it was great to see at least 8 of them in the air at one time! Great birds. My Blue tits fledged today.
Cheers
Josh
A good read Tony and nice photos. All too easy to forget just how rare marsh harriers used to be in the UK as breeding birds. Cheers, John
Nice post Tony, and great photos too.
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