Fly Past

 This incredible bird's piercing cry could be heard every day as it flew along the valley in search of prey.

Most often it flew some distance away but occasionally it came close enough to get a good look and just once I had my camera ready for the shot as it swooped overhead. Not only did I hear its cry but also to powerful rush of air as it flapped its wings above me. 

Soaring

Today I am posting my 1500th blog post!  That is something of an achievement and when I realised yesterday that I was going to reach this milestone I wondered what I would be able to share, I hoped to find something special in my portfolio but as it happened the three images I have fopr you were taken today and they are a fitting choice.

I have had a busy day today but I found time this afternoon to visit Burton Mere. I wasn't really expecting to see very much but there was quite a variety of species to be seen and with it being the hottest day of the year so far it was good to get out and soak up some sun.

Towards the end of my visit I spotted this buzzard soaring overhead, this was quite a surprise and I didn't have the settings quite how I would have wanted but as it swooped and soared above me I managed to get a few shots the three above being the most usable.

I had snapped a Sparrowhawk earlier in the day but it was too far away to be any good, and just after the buzzard flew by a Marsh Harrier also took a low pass but it was too quick for me to get anything other than a snap as it disappeared in the distance.

Although it would have been great to get pictures of all three the fact that I saw them all in such a short space of time was enough to put a smile on my face.

A few Wild Birds

So back from my trip to the New Forest I can get back into my daily habit.  It has been frustrating not having a good enough signal to be able to post pictures every day that I was away but I hope the ones I did were appreciated.

Today I have chosen a few pictures of birds taken with my super zoom.

The first is a buzzard which I managed to catch as it flew across an opening in the forest.  It flew by so quickly it was really hard to get a clear shot but I am very happy with this one.

The next bird, I thought was a Skylark but it turns out to be a Meadow Pippit, there was a pair of them flying around and making quite a racket.  This one settled for a moment on the fern but never for very long, it was also quite a long way off so is not as sharp as I would like and the background blur is a little distracting.

The third shot is a lot better, this is a Tree Pippit and was a little more obliging in that it sat still long enough to allow me to compose the shot.