26.07.2021 Fire or flood?

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Monday 26th 65F, overcast with the threat of showers, thunder or cloudbursts.  We had quite a few rumbles and flashes yesterday evening with heavy showers. 

A walk to the lanes in steamy, misty conditions. Half way there and I was treated to a ten minute aerial display by a pair of medium sized, birds of prey. I took hundreds of pictures but none were sharp enough for a crop enlargement. I was carrying my G9 with 50-200mm Leica lens as usual. I had engaged 2x Digital zoom because of the distance to the birds. This was a mistake. Every picture became grainy.

What I presumed to be the female settled on a squashed patch of the crop. The far more active, acrobatic male provided a rodent snack. Only later did I notice the presence of a small deer very nearby.

I was going with Northern Harrier but this doesn't match the online pictures. All-over, very dark brown with a distinctive ginger head. The female appeared almost black while on the ground. Both had long, hooked beaks. Rather than sharply curved. Long, rounded tail [when relaxed] and long legs. Long wings with fingers. Marsh Harrier? They seem to be highly variable in colouring. 

 

Flooding seems to have become the new norm. Belgium again. London again. China again. India again. Weather records are broken somewhere in every season. Wildfires are popular too. Coming to somewhere near you soon.

Denmark has been building lots of small, rural, cloudburst ponds for quite some time. They make excellent wildlife ponds. With coots, ducks and moorhens setting up home. Planted trees, shrubs and plants soon complete the scene. 

Not much hope for the cities in the UK. Even the school sports grounds have been sold off to modern, slum developers in the flood plains.

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