Sunday, 30 October 2011

Osprey at Ynys Hir

Went to Domen Las hide at Ynys Hir late this afternoon in hope of seeing some Whooper Swans, these were reported on Twitter and passed on to me by my daughter in Sheffield, what a strange world we inhabit. Anyway four Whoopers were present on the far side of the saltings down towards Dyfi Junction, also in the hide was Rees (?), sorry to him I'm not sure of his surname, as we watched and chatted he remarked that it had been very quite today and that last time from this hide he had seen a selection of raptors, yet none today, suddenly all the ducks took to the air and a large raptor appeared, my first instinct was Osprey immediately followed by no it can't be they're all in Africa by now, it must be a Marsh Harrier but as it got closer we could see that it was virtually all white underneath, had the white head and chin, black face mask and dark bib, it is an Osprey. It's tail was very ragged with all the feather tips looking scruffy. It would be interesting to know its' provenance.