UFO

Took a lunch break at the private Hanworth site yesterday. As I approached the lake a shape over the lake caught my eye, a Peregrine! Losing it behind the trees it reappeared, as a different bird! However this was no Peregrine, this was a monster! A broad,heavy bird, the upperparts were fairly uniformly dark brown with a paler head showing fairly distinct moustacial stripe. The most striking feature was the chest, it appeared to almost bulge in front of the head it was that heavy. With that it was then mobbed by the Peregrine (I knew I'd seen one!) where its size was apparent, at least a third bigger than the Peregrine with a proportionately longer tail, it also lacked any contrast on the upperparts compared to the Peregrine. Haven't a clue what it was, undoubtedly a falconers bird but the shape surely pointed to Gyr in there somewhere. I even reported it to RBA, as a matter of interest, but either 'Large Falcon sp' or myself, has been boycotted as despite two efforts to report it both were ignored!

Back on the partially frozen lake the usual suspects were present, but did include a feeding party of 4 Whooper Swans, my first on the deck wild swans in the square!

A further visit today, hoping lightening would strike twice (as I brought the correct camera gear!) unsurprisingly drew a blank, though the swans had been replaceed by a male Goosander.