Peregrine Displays

 Some documentary shots of the courtship display of the Peregrine pair that have returned St Albans. The female has a rather tatty tail but it didn't seem to affect her manoeuvrability. Hopefully someone in our Nature Group with more pixels than my camera has some better shots.

Toft Raptor Show

 Yesterday afternoon we were treated to our own personal raptor show as Buzzard, Kestrel and Red Kites swooped down into the field next to our bungalow when the hay-making machine disturbed rodents and insects. The light wasn't very good for most of the time and backgrounds difficult but quite an experience seeing them sometimes very close.

Raptors and Little Terns Winterton

Winterton is a well-known site for winter raptors but yesterday they also put on a great summer show including this very tame kestrel and two appearances of a Hobby feasting on the Little Terns. In the third image here, the Hobby is at a distance being pursued by angry adult terns. In the fourth shot, one was much closer but I had 1/500th set for insect photography so unfortunately not sharp. It looks as if it is a fledging tern that it has captured - as the RSPB warden said ' better to scrifice one fledgling than an adult that has potential to produce many more young'. 

Raptor Portraits from Sunday's Photography Day

Forgot that when using an SLR rather than Compact system camera you don't get exposure simulation so had a whole series of overexposed Goshawk images but like the results so sharing them here with other portraits from the day.

Flight of the Falcon

We visited the Raptor Centre at St Ives on Sunday as Sadie had been invited to a party there. The birds were generally looking a bit the worse for wear (it is the moulting season) but the Lanner Falcon put on a good display. It is amazing how they keep their head in exactly the same orientation as they do turns and rolls.

 

Soft Beauty of Barn Owls in flight

The silent feathers of the Barn Owl are in strong contrast to the sharp eyes and beaks. Images taken at the Raptor Foundation near St Ives Cambridgeshire.