Red-footed Falcon at Isle Brewers
Still at around 6.00pm this evening.
As Julian says, the parking there is VERY limited and tonight there were at least ten cars squeezed onto the verges as well as in the few parking spaces available. Most people seem to be parking sensibly but the road is narrow so make sure you are tucked right in. I saw one car parked in a gateway which is hardly very sensible and guaranteed to infuriate anyone needing access to their fields.
If the birds stays until the weekend it might get quite busy. Parking responsibly will be even more important.
Falcon still present and giving very close feeding flights as we left at 20.15 this evening,it likes to perch in the Poplar trees to the left of the gate as you enter the field
Yep, still there. Showing very well but in poor light.
May have been there about a week.
Red-footed Falcon apparently still present this morning (pager message sent at 9.42am).
While I was on my way back from holiday yesterday afternoon, Cookie contacted me. A local novice birder from Fivehead had photographed a falcon hawking dragonflies and mayflies over the water meadows at Isle Brewers from 8pm onwards on Sunday evening and posted the pics on Facebook labelled as Hobby. Cookie quickly realised this was not correct and James Packer quickly confirmed - the bird was a Red-footed Falcon. Cookie and Alick Simmons both tried to refind the bird yesterday afternoon without success, but at just after 8pm last night it turned up in exactly the same place, and Cookie and I watched it for at least 40 minutes, confirming it as a young (probably 2nd calendar year) female.
The favoured area in the evenings (so far) is just SW of the bridge over the River Isle just NW of Isle Brewers village, at approximately ST362214. There is a small amount of roadside parking there, but it is limited - if visiting, please do not block field gateways. The bird shows very well at times when present, but does drift off for short periods downriver. A public footpath goes across the fields from a gate by the bridge, though it’s probably not necessary to use it to get good views. Where the bird goes in the day we simply don’t know yet.
Also Barn Owl seen and Lesser Whitethroat heard there yesterday evening.