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What Was That?

Those brief glimpses are always a problem. While driving along the M10 yesterday I had a glimpse of a large bird of prey, naturally I could not take my eyes off the road for long enough to make a positive identification. I have seen buzzards around there before and I know that red kites are possible although I have never seen one that far east myself. Trouble is that the tail was definitely not forked and the wings seemed a little to swept back for a buzzrd. I will have to reserve judgement but will check out the Herts Bird Club reports in a few days to see if it was anything exciting.

I was a little luckier with identification in the garden on Saturday. Among the "small brown jobs" was something which didn't feel quite right for a female sparrow. A quick check with the glasses confirmed that she was no sparrow but a quick check with the field guide proved her to be a linnet. That was the first one that I have positively identified in the garden.

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