Wildlife

James Lowen

Photos were taken at range and in poor light (big ISO), so please forgive their crapness. Nevertheless, a very nice early-morning jaunt (I also chanced upon two Garganey, a Wood Sandpiper and a Chinese Water Deer), and I was back home working by 0730. Result.

The record even made the regional paper - although without mentioning either the finders (sadly) or the bird's presence in East Anglia for the past fortnight (oddly).

I couldn't go straight off - too much work - but resolved to be there for shortly after dawn. And so I was... and still missed the bird come out of its roost. Phil Heath kindly put me right, however, and I watched the bird for an hour or so, at range, as it fed on a carcass and scared the wits out of Marsh Harriers (above), Lapwings and Greylags.

Yesterday evening, Steve Smith and Justin Lansdell located the same immature bird sat on a gate at RSPB Buckenham Marshes.

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4 May 2017 Eagle has landed

One of the glaring omissions on my Norfolk county list has been White-tailed Eagle. I should have rectified that by joining Dave Andrews, Mikee Hoit and Will Soar on a day out in March when they found an adult at Creake Abbey. Instead, I stayed at home and worked. I should have made amends by seeing the immature in the Broads a fortnight ago, but by the time I got there, it was over the border in Suffolk. A report a few days ago over south Norwich got me scanning the skies... but all I turned up by skywatching from my garden was Marsh Harrier, a few Common Buzzards and House Martin (all welcome sights; don't get me wrong). Today, however, I finally put things right.