Chiltern Birder

With the warmest day of the year so far and magnificent displays of bluebells locally I decided that a walk in the woods with the camera was called for. The abandonment of traditional hedge laying allows these wonderful sculptural forms to develop over the years   To get back to birding I was also lucky to see a hobby fly across the path of the car and perch on a nearby power cable. The swift like silhouette was quite unmistakable. In the garden the wrens do seem to be in residence in the bat box, as I was standing close to it one went past my left ear at speed to perch in the rowan tree.

Taking a walk today I thought about taking the bins but decided that I was unlikely to see anything interesting. Naturally, while walking along the edge of Cowcroft Wood I saw a hawk silluetted against the sky. No markings but swept back wings like a swift. I walked on wondering what it was (I have never been good on the smaller raptors). Glancing back I saw it again, this time heading down towards Bottom Lane and the River Chess. A few minutes later the red kite that swept across in front of me in all its glory was instantly identifiable. A couple of minutes with a field guide once I was home settled the identification.