Sunday, July 31, 2005

Better! Large raptor gets the count ticking over again. 184 species in total

In what is turning out to be a pretty good raptor year, I added Osprey to the list today, at Lower Test Marshes. After a false start, where I broke a spoke and warped the rear wheel within 5 miles of home (bizarrely, Chris did exactly the same thing today in Norfolk!), I went home, changed bikes, and was at LTM by 1000. Chunky and Simon were waiting glumly, not having seen anything, so it wasn't looking good - but at about 1020, all the gulls went up, and the bird cruised in from the south, circled, and perched in one of the dead trees. This may well be the bird which has been in the general area since about May - it's a very rare bird in Hampshire in summer.