Breakfast could wait, as the light levels grew so did my attention to this juvenile who every now and then would return to his 'Elderberry' perch!
Frequently calling plaintively for food, then off as the parents delivered.....
A final close up view following this awesome encounter. Watching any Raptor at close range is always an exhillarating experience, now where's that breakfast?
As for that breakfast, courtesy of Pentland Lodge in Sheringham (details on request) - don't know when I've had a better one. Tell you what, I didn't eat or need to eat until tea-time!!!
After a quick call at Salthouse which yielded only Ringed Plover.....
The bulk of the morning was spent on Kelling Heath trying to nail Dartford Warbler. With the help of a local we found a youngster tagged onto a pair of Stonechats but they were very mobile and guess which one of the three spent most of the time skulking. So, the only two birds captured:
Back at Cley, a Peregrine managed to put the entire reserve airborne! Amongst the mayhem, I managed to pick out the five Spoonbill which otherwise seemed to spend all their time on the scrape asleep!
A juvenile Little Grebe posed nicely.
I was getting back inot the Marsh Harriers when word of action on the North scrape reached me - a Pec Sand plus another (or the same Minsmere bird) White rumped Sandpiper! Talk about my luck being in (Jason is still cursing me!!)
Such a shame the birds were so distant, my record shots at Minsmere suddenly became works of art and this is all I could manage. No doubting the id and I'm sure (as were others) that this was a different bird?? Much paler head and noticeable dark crown when seen head on, not noted with the Minsmere bird but that same clinching attenuated shape - wow what an end to my East coast visit!!!
