The Fenland Buzzard on the Telephone Pole.

I was driving along the country lane in the Fenland between Manea and Upwell. I turned onto the bridge over the Sixteen-foot river, where the sign said to March. I was returning to the work depot after finishing my day's work. As I trundled along the uneven tarmac of the lane towards March town, I was looking out over the fields. There is nothing but fields and criss-cross networks of canals that drain the Fens. It is peaceful, rural and I absolutely love it all. Especially when my work day is over and I can take a comfortable drive back to the council yard and clock off. 

It was then that I saw her on a telephone pole. I say 'her' but in truth, I was not sure of the buzzard's gender. The reason I decided the buzzard was 'her' as opposed to 'he' was because of the colouring. I had seen a Common Buzzard with a similarly mixed fleck at Sandringham a year before. On this occasion, a falconer was holding the wonderful creature and he told me the buzzard was female. Therefore my buzzard on the pole was a female too. Just a whim but there you have it.

My heart always leaps every time I see a bird of prey. The Fenlands is full of them and their numbers are increasing. This beautiful creature was staring at me from the telephone pole and did not move off as I drew nearer. It just looked at me as I drove past. Her plumage was lovey and I cursed to myself. 'Dam and blast! I never have the camera when driving.' 

I trundled on listening to the audio novel on my mobile that was placed on a charger stand. All of a sudden my mind clicked into gear. 

"Mobile!" I exclaimed to myself. 

Better than no camera at all. I pulled into a layby further down the road and checked no vehicle was coming along behind me as I turned around and went back to the buzzard's location. As I rounded the bend I could see the creature in the distance and slowed the van down. I knew she would get spoked as soon as I moved for the camera. They have spectacular eye-sight. I stopped the van picked up the mobile and put to camera settings just as she got spooked. I managed a couple of clicks but she took off as I was snapping away.

"Never mind," I told myself as I looked at two shots I thought I could put in the blog. I drove on passed to the next layby and turned around again to resume my journey back to the yard. As I passed the telephone pole again, the buzzard had returned and she was staring down at me as I passed. Just like the first time - almost déjà vu.

Another Dog Walk to the Fenland Bird Hides.

There were a large number of Buzzards flying about. Also many Kestrels too. In the distance was a Marsh Harrier. It looked good through the binoculars but was too far for a decent photograph.

The bull does not seem to mind us being there. Just so long as the river between is there too.

I always wonder how long the rickety old cottage will last. When will it fall down? It certainly looks as though it could do with some TLC. 

Our little dog, Darcey was full of spirit. Finally, she could leave the car and go for a run along the bridle path and up the scarp of the dyke.

Sometimes they go speeding along the river and you automatically click with the camera. It is more like a reflex action. I did not know what it was at first because its wings seemed to flap furiously. It would drop and rise, drop and rise. I caught it several times and when I got home and studied the photo shot, I realised it was a Woodpecker. 

Darcey always looks forward to a walk along the bird hides at Manea. The trouble is, she can't always contain her excitement while driving there. She whines and yelps all the way. Once we are there, she is fine and can run and let off some pent-up steam.

Country Walks and Birds of Prey.

Quick as a flash, the Marsh Harrier swooped across the river and out across the Fen at the bird hides of Manea. We had taken our nutty little mutt – Dotty dog Dotty for a run along the bridal path. We stopped at one of the hides for a quick drink. We had binoculars and a telescope. I also had my Nikon D 3100 camera.

As the bird of prey came into view I managed to get off a few shots. Most were blurred but one came out as passable. After the excitement, we returned to the bridal path and let Dotty run her excitement out of herself. The fens and the field are the same as they have always been. Nothing changed since retro British days. It felt like stepping back in time.

Falconry Area at Sandringham Country Fair.

Storm the Female Common Buzzard.

I was anxious to see the birds of prey that were kept in the Falconry area of the Sandringham Game and Country Fair. We had a map in the brochure as we entered the event, but I was going in the wrong direction and became side tracked by so many other interesting themes as the other blogs will show.

In the end, I came back to the Shire compound and had to line the brochure map against the pathways we had travelled. It was then obvious that I had been wandering in the complete opposite direction.

After this, we discovered the various tents to do with birds of prey. I have to say, it was a joy to see so many fine Raptors. There were some from other countries. I was, however, more interested in the birds of prey I see around the Fenland on a day to day basis. Especially the Common Buzzards, Kestrels, Barn Owls, Little Owls etc.

One particular man had a Female Common Buzzard named Storm. This bird of prey was an absolute peach to look at. Especially her colouring. Buzzards do have varied colours ranging from dark browns to much lighter forms. I’ve even seen some with greyish plum at distance but I think that is when they are juvenile.

However, the Buzzard called Storm was a smashing beauty of a Common Buzzard. She had such light markings. Especially her head. I had to ask the Falconer holding her what she was. I had no idea she was a buzzard at all until he confirmed it. I supposed it was a bird of prey from another country. A species I would not know of.

Harris Hawk.

Another type of varied Common Buzzard Colouring.

I've seen a number of Little Owls in the Fens.

European Eagle Owl

Peregrin Falcon

Grey Owl

Another varied Common Buzzard's colouring.

I was told this Owl is from Australia

Male Kestrel

The Loved Up Owl Named Gigi.

I had to post this wonderful story of a Great Horned Owl. I come across it on Youtube and was rather surprised by the owl's response to the Wildlife career named Pojeky. The ailing owl was bought into the Mississipi Wildlife Centre suffering from acute weight loss. It was on the verge of death. 

However, with dedicated care from Pojeky, the Great Horned Owl named Gigi, managed to pull through the dilemma. She never forgot who helped her and showed affection to the career. Many don't think owls are capable of such feats but I think Gigi is.

Kestrel Bird of Prey Hovers and Hunts Over the Fenland.

We took dotty dog Dotty over the Fens yesterday. She always gets excited when she watches Carole and I get the camera and the coffee flask. Once the back packs come out her hopes start to get the better of her. She begins to whine excitedly, hoping she is coming along for the trip too.

As soon as one of us goes into the cupboard for the lead, that is it! Dotty can no longer contain herself and starts barking excitedly. We have to strap her in the back of the car or she’ll just keep jumping about, still unable to contain her joy. As we go along the many canals and country lanes towards the Manea bird hide Dotty starts whining more excitedly.

Because the bridal path runs along a dyke with a river either side. (River Bedford and the River Delph) We are able to let Dotty run her heart out. And she does with great aplomb. If other dogs come along, we quickly put her on a lead. She is always most unfriendly with other dogs when first being introduced. However, other dogs in this remote area are far and few between.

I’m stopping here and there looking for the birds of prey. There are a number of Kestrels hovering over the Fens in search of lunch. Perhaps a mouse or a vole. One female Kestrel came close to the hide and I managed to get a few good photo shots of her.

The Marsh Harrier of the Fen.

We had a fine evening over the bird hides of Manea. As it was getting towards late evening, there was a lot of activity. However, it was at distance and most of my shots across the fen were no good when magnified and enhanced. I think I'm going to need a camera with a little better magnification than 300m which is my maximum on this.

Through the binoculars, we got clear sightings of a couple of Common Buzzards and a Barn Owl. Also, a good sighting of a Kingfisher too. Everything was tranquil and silent. We drank a few cups of coffee while watching the Buzzards for some time. 

Then on the way home, I got a splendid shot of a Marsh Harrier over the field. All in all, we had a very good couple of hours in the fen.

Where the Marsh Harriers Hunt the Over the Fenland.

Today, Carole and I went to Woodwalton Fen. It is a nature reserve that we have been speaking about visiting for some time. Finally, we decided to go there. It was a pleasant surprise because it was much closer than we expected it to be. It was also easy to park too.

As we went towards a small bridge leading to the reserve, the first thing we heard were crows getting vexed and excited in the trees ahead. They were intimidating a Marsh Harrier that had strayed into their airspace close to their rookery or parliament as is sometimes called.

I was armed with my Nikon D3100 with 70mm to 300mm lens. I began clicking away and managed a few good shots. However, I decided not to use them on the blog because there would be many others before the visit was done.

While walking around the various paths we came upon a bird hide along a palisade path. It was covered by trees and as we went up the stairway into the hide, we were delighted with the great view across the marsh. It was surrounded by trees and the visitor’s book spoke of the Chinese Water Deer that lived within the woodlands surrounding the marshes.

The times of the sightings of these rare deer were usually evening and I think that is why we did not see any. We did hear them, however.

Our attention was captured by many pairs of Marsh Harriers coming out of the trees and hunting the marshlands before our bird hide. I was getting a great number of shots. Most of them I would not use on the blog because as time passed some of the Raptors came closer than I expected to enable me to get some closer and better than usual shots.

We stayed in the hide for about an hour and also saw a hobby come over. It was too fast and at distance to get on camera but we got a good look through our binoculars.

It was a fine way to pass the morning and early afternoon and from this point, we walked around the reserve chatting about all sorts of things before returning to the car and making our way home through the village of Ramsey.

    

The Hobby - Little Raptor Over the Fenland.

I had never seen a little Hobby bird of prey before. I mean, in the wild of course. I've seen them in books and on TV nature programmes but this was my first up close and real. At first, I thought it was a Merlin, but once home and looked up via the computer, I could see the little fella was indeed, a Hobby.  

Fenland - Bird Hides - Cambridgeshire, England.

Dotty dog Dotty and my wife Carole at Manea bird hides.

My wife and I decided to take little dotty dog Dotty to the bird hides at Manea today. It was a clear blue day and rather warm. We filled our flask full of coffee and grabbed some nibbles before setting off.

Upon arrival at the River Bedford and the River Delph, which both run parallel to each other, we let Dotty out of the car so she could run her excitement off. Once she had got the pent up energy out of her system we set off across the bridge by the lock gate and walked along the dyke and bridle path that separates the two rivers.

I had my camera and was listening to the various bird song along the way. The rivers reeds were alive with Willow Warblers and Reed Buntings. I was, of course, clicking away with my camera. We walked for a long time surveying all about us.

I saw a Common Buzzard circling over the farmland and tried to get a few shots until RAF Tornados flew over. We passed the first two bird hides and went into the third one and set up our things. We looked out across the Fens once again. The last time we came here with my son Paul, the whole Fen was a giant lake as the River Delph bursts her banks in winter and floods the surrounding pastures.

Now the lake was receded and the fields were back in view. The entire Fen was a lush green where the lake had recently been. The first thing we noticed was a hunting Marsh Harrier gliding low and searching the grassland for the nests of the water birds. The raptor must have found the nest of some Lapwings as these water fowl were constantly try to swoop close and harass the bird of prey. I think it was a desperate effort to protect their nest. The contest went on for some time. The Lapwings would see the Marsh Harrier off, but the big bird would slowly circle the fen and come back low from another direction. I was clicking away with my Nikon D3100 trying to get the best shots possible but it was at some distance.

Carole and I spent an enjoyable couple of hour’s bird watching before deciding to make our way back to the car. That was still another half hour walk for Dotty to stretch her legs a little more.

On the way back we saw a kestrel in the distance and then another come close to it. This other particular bird seemed to be a kestrel too at distance but it did not hover. Instead it was twisting and turning and had a different flight signature altogether. Carol thought it might be a Merlin, but these birds of prey like wooded areas. Then as it got closer we noticed it had a black head. At first, I thought it might be a Peregrine Falcon but it looked too small. Then I realised it might be a Hobby. I managed to get a few great shots of the little raptor as it swooped and twisted in the summer sky. What a smashing little creature it was. Once back home, Carole looked up the Hobby in our British bird’s book and it had all the marks of such. Evidently, the Hobby is a spring and summer visitor each year.

Willow Warbler

Peacock Butterfly

Common Buzzard

Reed Bunting

Then a couple of RAF Tornados put in an appearance.

The once flooded fen was now fields again and the Marsh Harrier was Hunting but the Lapwings were not happy and wanted to protect their nest. They harassed the raptor swooping close in and out to put the bird of prey off.

Every time the Marsh Harrier left, it would just circle and come back low. The Lapwings were waiting.

The air contest lasted for some time.

The Lapwings would not give up the defence of their nest

Lapwings

On the way back, we saw the Hobby swooping, twisting and diving with great ability. At first, I thought it was a Merlin or Peregrine Falcon. However, it was about the size of a kestrel.

Hobby over the Fen