Marsh Harrier in Devon

I had quite a treat this morning. I made a rare visit to the hide at Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham.  I am trying to give as much assistance as I can to a birding mate who wants to take better photographs.  I have loaned him both a camera and a lens because I know that he is a really  keen birder and someone whose knowledge I have a massive amount of respect  for. We arranged to meet at the hide because its easy to get there and I knew that we would have some birds to photograph and then discuss how he could get the best out of the camera.  It worked well because there were ducks quite close to the hide and we could talk about the problems of back light  etc. One or two other birders drifted in and suddenly someone noticed movement right at the back of the field in front of the hide and called out that there was a Marsh Harrier in the reeds sitting quietly.  It was a female and the creamy head was giving it away.   This was a "lifer" for me so I was thrilled and excited to see it.  It was too far away for a good photo but we all waited patiently in the hope that it would take to the air, eventually it would of course.  It was just a matter of waiting, this amounted to more than 50 minutes and I spent that with my eyes hardly leaving the viewfinder.  I knew that when it did, I would be able to get at least a picture in flight.  As I said it was too far for anything other than a record shot and so it proved.  When eventually, off it went I was waiting and here is the result!  Not a disaster but a picture never the less.  If you look at my gallery here of Devon birds you can see photographs of 181 birds all taken here in the county of Devon.  There are quite a number of notable absentees from this gallery so I am sure that eventually I will be able to get up to at least 200 species which will be a good achievement.  Previously it had left it's cover in the reeds and as it flapped its way on to the bank I agin managed a snap, but again just a record.

I mentioned that Dave and I were photographing ducks and you can see that Teal and Widgeon have well and truly arrived here now on the Exe Estuary. Both  Teal and Widgeon are  beautiful ducks, absolutely gorgeous and it beggers belief that grown men get pleasure from balsting them out of the air just for sport. But, thats what happens as we all know.

This is a drake Teal of course, such a pretty duck. The female, below, is not so colourfull but the green patch is just as noticeable in both species but as you can see below, sometimes this can be hidden.

Female Widgeon are a very attractive duck and much more colourful than Teal.