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.

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

Joy of the Fenlands and the low flying Buzzard.

We sat in the bird hides for a long time waiting for a raptor. Sometimes a Marsh Harrier, sometimes a Common Buzzard. Also a Short Eared Owl. There were some in the distance but they were too far for a clear photo shot. Paul, Carole and I chatted away and watched many of the water birds on the flooded fen. Our dog, Dotty was beginning to go dotty sitting in the bird hide. She wanted to get out and run along the bridal path of the dyke. In the end, we gave in to her desires to walk along to the next hide.

It was a good call because a Common Buzzard glided majestically across the clear blue sky at a close level for me to get a few shots. My son, Paul enjoyed the sight and has been speaking of falconry for some time now. 

Paul at the Flooded Fen of Manea and a Camera.

Paul in the Flooded Fenland of Manea

Paul was pleasantly surprised by the sight of the flooded fenland at Manea. We walked along the dyke between the two waterways. One river's bank is allowed to burst onto the field and flood each year as it is a natural flood plain. This is a fabulous place to go bird watching and Paul decided to come along and give it a go. 

I had my camera and we were not disappointed. We saw a couple of Common Buzzards and got some splendid shots of a kestrel hunting the fields behind the other river. It made for a grand afternoon out. Carole, my wife, was with us and the infamous dotty dog Dotty. The excitable little dog was tearing up and down the path barking away at gulls. 

Some of the photos were very pleasing indeed.

The Kestrel looked down at us.

The Common Buzzard gave us a look too.

The Butterflies are out early?

Chaffinch makes an appearance.

The Goldfinch was here too

And the Blue Tit was not going to miss out either.

The Common Buzzard Observed Then Flew Away.

Showing Paul the grounds at Holkham Hall, where the Earl of Leicester lives was something to behold. The grounds were magnificent and there was a big herd of deer grazing on the park land. We saw a Common Buzzard fly over us and the raptor knew we were observing it. It circled and then flew off towards a line of trees.

We also saw a barn owl swoop down across the lake. As my son, Paul comes from the southern outskirts of London, he was rather taken by the open space and the grand stately home of Holkham Hall.

As we turned and began to walk across the parkland back towards the main gates, a Barn Owl flew over the lake. It was so quick that most of the shots were not too good. However, one was enough.

Next came the deer herd and Paul began to film on his mobile phone. I think it was for his daughter Leah. She is at school and was unable to come up to the Fenland on this occasion.

The Marsh Harrier

After deciding to go home from Cromer in Norfolk, we were chatting leisurely about the scenic little villages we were passing through in the car. We went through Sheringham and Clay Next the Sea. There were other small coastal towns too. All the cottages were made of pebbled stone and had a wonderful and quaint character. Even the new builds are done the same way.

We passed the outskirts of Wells Next the Sea and then Holkham Hall. As we drove on towards Hunstanton, Carole noticed a buzzard gliding over the sand dunes. As luck would have it, there was a gravelled clearing with a gateway. It was big enough for me to park off of the country lane. I got out the camera and began to click away. At first, I thought it was a Red Kite, but upon further inspection, it looks more like a Common Buzzard. It was a very fine creature whatever.