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SOME BIRD OF PREY SIGHTINGS
I live on a housing estate towards the edge of Maldon and often sit out in my garden
hoping to see something good fly over.
From February to September last year just by chance I had 18 sightings of Birds of Prey,
11 were of Sparrowhawks (2 of which were displaying, 2 had prey in their feet),
5 were of Hobbys (while I was watching the Camberwell Beauty butterfly in my garden
on August 5th I saw a Hobby overhead which caught a House Martin, you could see the
feathers floating down), one was a Marsh Harrier and one was a Buzzard.
I was amazed to see the Buzzard and rang Abberton N.R. as it was heading that way. In
the Birdwatch magazine October issue in the August bird report it stated that one was
seen at Abberton N.R. from 24th-30th August. I saw my one on the 22nd August so
maybe it was the same one.
The Maldon E.W.T. Group have a coach trip to the Bird Watching Fair at Rutland Waters,
Leicestershire on Sunday 18th August. The coach will start at Chelmsford, pick up at
Maldon and then through to Colchester to pick up there. So that people have a choice of
what they want to do, we will be dropping people off at the Lyndon N.R. at Rutland
Waters (which has hides, walks and a Visitor Centre) and then taking the rest of the
people on to the Bird Fair. Details from Maureen Patient on 01621 859202.
Simon Patient
Young Ornithologist of the Year 1994