Warming up nicely

Monday I was out in a later dawn, a lone female Shelduck in the SW corner of LFGP, was all there, at Lavell's the Garganey was still present and happy. Trev reckons it's a first year bird based on BWP, so I'll run with that.

Wednesday morning, nowt at LFGP, the Shoveler are holding steady in the high 50's, just 8-9 Teal left and Garganey still happy.

Today, after a lie in, I felt compelled to go to the car park field at 11:20. Very good conditions for hirundines and raptors...I had both. 4 Sand Martins over LFGP weren't the half of it.

Countless Red Kite, 12+ Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, then luckily I got onto another raptor going away from me about 400+ feet over Lodge Wood, very elastic deep wing beats and a square tail...yep my first Marsh Harrier in 3 years.

It kept going then Lodge Wood blocked seeing it, then it appeared again right of and circling in much smaller circles than Red Kite do. As it turned I saw the golden forehead, broad primaries and straight tail. It stayed over the Twyford pits area for 5-7 minutes, gaining height and then drifted out of sight.

I got one shot out of 7 that showed what it was, but it was so far away the picture makes it look more like a male, but I could swear it was a female.