10-09-2018 No time for a sandwich
Photo by Triin Kaasiku.
No time for a sandwich is a sign of a bloody good day.
In early mornings, the mountains in the east are cloudless, attracting birds to pass in small streams far inland against the rising sun. This is where you’ll pick up the first Marsh Harriers of the day by their distinct silhouette. Then it turns hectic. Hey, a juvenile Marsh overhead passing with two Montagu’s! Did you get this Marsh creeping through the valley, approaching the beginning of the ridge? Station 2, did you record two Marsh Harriers passing between the stations just now? Palm-top! A family group of Marsh in East 1. How many Marsh did you have in the stream of Honey Buzzard? Look, is this a dark morph bird?
You feel the adrenaline building up, you’re very awake, looking for more birds to tally. By the end of the day we reach 814 Marsh Harriers counted from Station 2 and 1130 both stations combined. Doesn’t sound much compared to the rivers of Honey Buzzard that we witness flowing by but finding the birds and looking carefully at each one of these sneaky migrants is both challenging and rewarding.
Photo by Triin Kaasiku.