A-feckin'-mazing'!

Dear Reader - once again, my patch has come up trumps.

After what by my standards was a lie-in (07:10), me 'n' Lils were off for a trot around West Hartford.  Nearing the end of the access road, it was clear there was a lot of corvid activity over and around the water.  My initial thought was that the nest in the area had produced fledged young.  But as we neared the water's edge, voila, Marsh Harrier in aerial combat with three Crows.  The bird was deep chocolate brown above (wings/torso), the head was not as boldy cream as others I have seen, and the tail was also lighter in colour.

What followed was the world's worst attempt at:

• Keeping the dog still
• Watching the bird either via bins or naked eye
• Texting some local birders

The result included forwarding a reply from one birder (SH) to another (sorry, Crammy).  But I did manage to follow the bird until it landed in the centre of 'brick hut' field.  And then a call from Sometimes allowed me to direct him to where it was, and seconds later up it went.

He may have got a snap or two and I am sure can tell us what gender/age the bird was.

And then it flew north and out of my view.

MYSTERY TIME

There is a row of trees running east to west starting in the gap between the NE corner of the larger Flash and the south shore of the smaller one.  It looks like someone has cut a branch off that tree.  Why?