This is due to all the wandering raptors of a scarce and indeed rare nature that have been wafting through the heavens over the south west recently. And indeed continue to do so today, judging by the reports. [The irony, such as it is, will become clear]
As I'm not most people, and tend not to do well in hot and humid conditions, I've mostly been finding places to sit and staying put in the hope that something comes by. As a tactic its pretty sound - over the years I've seen many many birds using this tried and tested means - but it is dependent on the damn things showing up...
Various sites on Dartmoor, the Haldon ridge, and indeed my own hill have yielded a notable lack of Kites. Buzzards, yes, lots of those, the odd Hobby, plenty of Herring Gulls, Ravens too, and a Sprawk even. This is not to say it's been eventless - I've had a few probable Kites, but the ever-present haze has robbed me of certainty on them, and as today has shown me, I think certainty is definitely needed!
How so? Well, I saw a Buzzard today, from the old viewpoint on Haldon. Not unexpected - one of at least 5 - but this Buzzard was an interesting one. It had, by moult or Corvid attack lost its inner tail feathers, and was in the process of re-growing them. This gave it not the swallow-tail effect you'd expect, but a full-on Red Kite fork. It was also moulting its inner primaries, this combined with its very white 'palms' gave it the appearance of Red Kite inner primaries. It had a quite evenly dark body and paler head, plus a tendency to show a very Kite-like wing shape. Seen from below at height in the current hazy conditions it would look close enough to fool most people - if it hadn't been so close I freely admit it would most likely have fooled me. Seen well its brown, not red, but up high? Watch out!
Earlier in the week I had a surprise encounter with a female Cuckoo - a brown morph flew very low over me near Vitifer - I got to hear that Little Grebe style trill up close and very loud! Having spent a couple of hours watching distant dark blobs turn into Buzzards, I was glad of the action! :)
Saving the best frustration for last - after the fun forktailed Buzzard, a falcon sp. spent 6 minutes meandering past south. That's all I can say. If it had just dropped below the horizon and banked over I could have said a name, but it didn't. Then, less than 5 minutes later, a Hobby came by and did just that. Rats, double rats, and indeed wasps.
Oh well. If at first you don't succeed...
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