raptors

a nice adult female Marsh Harrier from this morning and a reedbed hunting Sparrowhawk; I missed the shot of the male Sparrowhawk that emerged from the reedbed carrying a male Bearded Tit!

alkborough birds

an interesting Marsh Harrier

easily aged as a juvenile ie now 1cy bird on upperpart pattern and the amount of creamy white on the underparts is individually variable but is this a male or female? structure is usually the key and if there is a bird of the other sex nearby direct comparison makes it easy -- I think most people wold suggest this is a female but when it was being chased by the 3cy male it was the same size if not smaller and of similar / same structure so I am assuming it is a male but on it's own I wouldn't have liked to make a positive ID ---all images in dull light hence high ISO and good crops as well

Sheld Duck

Grey Heron on ice

Black Guillemot and Ring-necked Duck

truly micro dot images of my first Lincs Black Guillemot and a very dull late afternoon female Ring-necked Duck we picked up on the way home at Kirkby Pits -- wonder how many birders really look at that place with any regularity -- oh it Lincs