A Bit of Rough

Something of a change to my usual Monday routine as Alan Shorrock and I headed over to the Great Fen in Cambridgeshire. Our quarry was a Rough-legged Buzzard which has been seen regularly in the area, there had been two but at the moment it looks as if one may have moved on.

Just the spot for a Rough-legged Buzzard.

We drove over to Holme Fen and parked up near the reserve at Tower and Froghall Farm. Setting out under some threatening looking skies I was struck by how few birds seemed to be about. Happily for us one of the few that did show was the Rough-legged and it treated us to distant but sustained views of over an hour's duration. At one point the bird was hassled by a Raven which is probably quite a scarce bird out here in the billiard table flat fens. A heavy shower sent us scurrying back to the car where we waited for the rain to stop.

Dodgy record shots of today's star.

Once the rain had stopped we took a walk around Holme Fen but aside from an attractive Fly Agaric toadstool there was little to report. From here we journeyed over to the coldest spot in Britain if not the world, Eldernell. A killer combination of a chilly easterly wind and some heavy showers made for an unpleasant experience and I spent most of the time in the car. Highlights here were several small parties of Whooper Swans and a distant Marsh Harrier while there was also a good sized flock of Fieldfares.

Holme Fen and Fly Agaric.

Most of the pictures today are of the duff record shot type category as most of the action took place at a distance.

Whoopers, Fieldfares and Kestrel.