After some early morning shopping in Knowle today I thought as I'm out I might as well pop down to Marsh Lane again.Got there at 10.00 AM to find it pretty gloomy and I had the place to myself.
The CP pool was crowded with masses of Greylag Geese and Canada Geese so I soon moved onto the north causeway hide where I had 3 Water Rails (2 adults and a juvenile) but they quick scurried off into the reeds.A Reed Warbler came pretty close but remained well hidden.
From the Oak hide there were 4 Little Egrets present.This is a distant shot of 3 of them.
A little later on I was joined by my good friend Jeff Rankin and from the CP hide we spotted this bird in the dead tree.Took us an age to ID it as it was beyond the range of our bins but Jeff using his 500 lens and 2X converter then blowing up the shot enabled us to ID it as a Hobby.A female Sparrowhawk started to fly round it and soon they both flew off together down the tree line towards the causeway.Here is a shot of the Hobby taken with my 400 lens
Jeff and I raced off to the north causeway hide (Jeff raced I hobbled) but after a patient wait we had no luck.I gave up and walked back to the car park but as I got by the Oak trees to the right of the path I saw the Sparrowhawk perched.However as soon as I raised the lens to get some shots it flew off.
Suddenly my luck changed because the Sparrowhawk perched high up in a tree that was pretty close to the north causeway hide.I raced (sorry hobbled) back there to put Jeff onto the bird.Got some decent shots.
Blow me down the Sparrowhawk was then joined by her friend the Hobby.Not a good shot but shows them both in the same frame.
They both soon flew off but luckily I got a decent shot of the Hobby before it disappeared.
The Hobby stayed around for a while but I'm blowed if I could get another decent shot.This was my best.
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