What a morning this was, with the problem of coastal fog still tending to hide birds. A group of 5 raptors appeared, a fair distance away on the West coast and slowly drifted inland. I first made out a light Booted Eagle, followed by 2 Short-toed Eagles and then 2 dark birds. One I assumed was a dark Booted Eagle, but the other looked quite different with longer fingered wingtips. I then noticed the tail, a conspicuous wedge-shape and immediately knew I'd found an Egyptian Vulture. The vulture was all dark and clearly a juvenile, it put on a great show for me and came fairly close. A couple of English birders arrived and I pointed out the presence of the Egyptian Vulture with the eagles. We stood talking and exchanging findings for a while, and then took to the road as the fog was worsening. It was then that I noticed, the vulture had landed in a field and it wasn't alone. A 'light variant' type Egyptian Vulture was 50 metres or so from the juvenile. This bird was staggeringly reachable from the roadside. A truly amazing site as far as I was concerned and one I will remember.
A good choice of hirundines on the peninsula this morning with Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, House Martin, Swift and a single Sand Martin was a surprise. The Short-toed Eagles continued to provide excellent views. Comments are closed.
|
|