today I was running extremely late and was very late for my lunchbreak.
I normally have my lunch around 12.30 but today it was 13.20 as I got out of the door. As I got to the bottom of the outside stairs and walked towards my car I could hear alot of commotion from some Herring Gulls.
I looked around and spotted about 10 of them quite high up. They seemed to be mobbing another bird. I strained my eyes and could make out this other bird was much much bigger than the Herring Gulls.
Thoughts went rushing through my head of what it could be so I sprinted (linford christie speeds!) back up the stairs and back into my office where I keep a rubbish pair of bins. I refound the gulls and swung the bins onto the bigger bird. I could not believe my eyes when I realised I was looking at an Osprey! Luckily noone else was in the office as expletives filled the air.
I have never seen an Osprey before so was in complete shock.
As it slowly flew SE towards Derbyhaven I grabbed my mobile and rang a birding mate. He usually spends his lunchtime birding at Derbyhaven with his lunch at 12-1 but I thought I would inform him anyway.
When he told me he was at Derbyhaven that second I quickly told him to get to the flying club as quick as he could as there was an Osprey heading that way.
A few minutes later he rang back to say he could see it and it had turned and was flying N up the coast. I managed to just about pick it out until it flew N out of sight.
Absolutely brilliant. One of the best moments I've had watching birds.
It also made me think how spooky it was that if I wasnt late for lunch
I would have missed the bird and how if Chris also wasnt late on his lunch he would have also missed it.
I hope I have more good luck like that in future though! :)