September 21, 2008
Cambs raptor madness continues!
Warning: incredibly bad photos to follow. Following my good luck with Thursday's Honey Buzzard, I returned to Magog Down late Friday afternoon. No more honeys, but several Common Buzzards over, including this very pale individual.
The reward for this trip was a distant Red Kite, the first I have seen this close to Cambridge.
The weather on Saturday was even more gorgeous, so I tried a morning visit. Meadow Pipits, hirundines and 3 Siskins all appeared to be on the move. By mid-morning the commoner raptors were up, and in the company of James Hanlon I enjoyed watching a Hobby hawking insects, and best of all, a Sparrowhawk mobbing a Peregrine. I couldn't resist a trip back on Sunday, and to my amazement, James and I got on a slender ringtail harrier circling in the distance. At this range with my 30x lens I couldn't see enough for a definitive ID, but James with his 60x was leaning towards Montagu's....
Whatever species the ringtail was, it was my 10th raptor species within a week in Cambs, all from spots an easy bike ride from Cambridge city centre! A more straightforward ID was the Red Arrows, migrating west over Cambridge in a tight V formation.
While cycling to and from Magog Down, I frequently saw this Kingfisher on a quiet stretch of the Cam; sadly it tends to be scared off my the first dog-walkers of the day, before the light is photographer-friendly.
After several unsuccessful tries for Grey Wagtail with CA birder Leigh, they are now, predictably, pretty easy to see around town again.
A ploughed field close to Addenbrooke's Hospital is teeming with Lesser Black-backed Gulls, though I haven't been able to pick out anything more unusual than the occasional Herring Gull.
A Common Darter enjoying the Indian summer.
Scenic Starling roost, central Cambridge.
