I had been watching many Red Kites, Buzzards and a few Sparrohawk over the landfill from Ron's hide for over an hour yesterday afternoon, when I got onto a smallish raptor which was moving South at about 450-600 feet. It has already passed to my right so the light was pretty poor, but first impressions was a Hobby, due to it having sharp swept back wings and shortish narrow tail.
It wasn't too far away, approximately 250 yards, so was struggling to get it in my scope due it's height, meaning a steep angle and had to quickly lower my tripod legs to get on to it.
As I did get it in the scope, to my surprise it turned and hovered breifly, it looped flapped on further South, now over Lavell's and hovered again. This really perplexed me as it did not have a long tail and I have never seen a Kestrel hover at 500-600 feet, all I could make out in the light conditions, we a rich, or rufous brown, but too high up to pick up any detail.
It turned and continued South and must have been about over the Lavell's Island when it hovered one more time before suddenly folding up like a Sparrowhawk and went into a near vertical dive out of sight somewhere at the West end of Lavell's, or more probably Sandford.
I remain perplexed, but have read Red Footed Falcon does hover............I'll never know....unless we find one in the next day or so.
No comments:
Post a Comment