Raptor round your finger

I've been up and down to Portland this week like the number 1 bus, chasing shadows mainly - specifically the shadows of a male Red-flanked Bluetail and a female Pine Bunting. Both of these major rarities were trapped at the Bill in recent days - see here for stunning photos of them wrapped around the fingers of Martin Cade - and while the chances of either sticking around seemed slim, with a few days off work this week it would have been rude not to head down in the hope of seeing them. In the end I saw neither but there were some photogenic fowl to be enjoyed nonetheless. Raptors put on a particularly fine display with six species seen. Photographic highlights below.

 

This female Hen Harrier has been around Portland Bill for over a week

I bumped into it on several occasions on recent visits

It was often mobbed by corvids - though gave as good as it got on this occasion

Against the sea off the Bill

Banking in response to another corvid attack

Rare to see this species so well...

...though difficult to photograph without the clutter of fence lines...

...gates...

...or vegetation in shot

Well that's almost artistic

Hen Harrier

This Buzzard was also attracting attention from corvids - here with a Raven 

Male Kestrel hanging in the breeze off the West Cliffs this morning

Kestrel

This Peregrine cast a bulky shadow

The classic flying anchor shape

This juvenile Peregrine has a colour-ring - will be interesting to see where that comes from

Finally form Portland a very distant record shot of a Merlin

 

Sparrowhawk was also on Portland though this one was photographed at Durlston earlier in the week

And to close the raptor theme, this Marsh Harrier was at Swineham before my visit was so rudely interrupted by news of a Pine Bunting on Portland!