Saturday 21 June 2014

Ashdown Forest - Short-toed Eagle

With Stone Curlew out of the way at Weeting Heath...... (shimmery record shots herewith)







...... my journey back to Shropshire took an unlikely diversion! The M11, followed by the M25 (snarled up at the Dartford crossing for 30 mins) meant that I arrived in the Wych Cross area of Sussex at 12.15! The Short-toed Eagle had been showing from Gills Lap car park but not any more......  I had to wait over two hours for a  very distant fly over (verging on the untickable) so when news of it ending up perched down the track from Long car park came out, I was off........

And so were quite a few others!


Ian Grant, Dave Blakeman, Martin Whalley and Pete Jordan had also made the trip from Shrops/Staffs and whilst they had already had decent views, this was probably the best showing so far for us all? Here's the back of Ian's head as the arrow marks the pine tree some 200m away!


The best I could do! This was not going to be a day for photography!


A consolation distant underwing shot as it circled to depart.....


I guessed it may return to the usual haunt across from Gills Lap so reversed my last journey?


The guess was correct and  another record shot of the upperwing followed (which shows quite nicely how large it is!) as it was being mobbed by corvids.


A walk along the track, hoping it might reappear was all in vain and eventually I called it a day - at least the motorways were quieter on a Sunday evening :-) I was back and a quiet week beckoned, to recharge my batteries - before more travelling the following (long) weekend - to Seahouses and the Farnes - and guess what's returned there!!