As soon as I arrived a Peregrine skimmed low over the water and disappeared across Fill Belly Flat towards Slade before I,d even chance to get out of the car. Other than the usual Curlews, Canadas and Mallards it was down to Herring gulls to put on a show with birds moving >W continuous with a count of around 80.
Back at the car sheltering under the tailgate I was messing around with the 70-200 mm lens taking some views, dogs etc and as I was putting Bertha back on the camera all the Lapwings and Curlews went up near the wind turbines and then a large raptor appeared in the same area as the Osprey. The bird was low and in danger of disappearing below the east ridge so no time for the bins I just got it in the camera and started shooting.
Through the lens I could see it was near white and the slender wings bent downwards made me think unbelievably it was another Osprey. When it got in a position where it looked settled I grabbed the bins to find it was a light phase Buzzard.
By the time I picked the camera up again it did exactly as the Osprey did by dropping below the east ridge and continuing North with just the Lapwings above the ridge giving away its position.
This all happened during a heavy rain shower proving its a fallacy that raptors don,t fly in wet conditions.
So despite the conditions another good session at Fly Flatts.
BS