It's not very often you get local rarities but when
you do there's nothing better, you don't have to
travel far for one and you get to spend more time
with them.
This occasion it was a first summer female Red
Footed Falcon that turned up on a local cricket
pitch in Ledbury. Reported on Tuesday 7th June
initially but it is thought that the bird has been
present for up to two weeks after speaking with
the local dog walkers.
I made my visit on Wednesday evening. I've seen
these birds before and was expecting the bird to
be a small dot in the distance when I got there but
I was wrong so wrong. The bird was hawking
insects on my arrival only twenty or so feet from a local birder who was watching through a scope.
I couldn't believe it. I watched it move from post
to post as it hawked it's prey. The distance it was
spotting very small insects was quiet something
sometimes some thirty or forty feet away, incrediable vision.
I waited until the birder left and I was on my
own. I sat quietly and waited, it didn't seemed
to be bothered by my presence allowing within
thirty feet of it as it feed, giving me an opportunity
for a few shot's.
I was later joined by Jim Almond, the Shropshire
birder who also managed to get a few shot's.
(You can view these by clicking the link at the
side of this page)
The bird gaves us some superb views at times
passing over our heads and landing very close.
A joy to watch, it's was almost like watching
a falonary display, terrific stuff.
We stayed until after nine o'clock hanging onto
to those last few rays of light before we left, a
great evening with good company and a terrific
bird.
