Montagu's Harrier, King's Fleet, Suffolk

Montagu's Harrier 1 1st summer male
Marsh Harrier 1 male
Channel Wagtail 1 male
Yellow Wagtail 1 male

Year: 248 (Montagu's Harrier)

I had great views of the Montagu's Harrier as it hunted across wheat fields and rape fields at King's Fleet near Felixtowe. My first Monty in the UK since the one I found on Reed's Moss in St. Helens back in 2001, and only my third ever in the UK.

First impressions when seeing an unexpected Monty can be that it looks like a huge falcon, and in fact when I saw the bird on Reed's Moss in 2001, my first reaction was "bl#!dy hell, that's a big falcon!".

As you can see in this photo, the harrier appears to be carrying a dragonfly.

Channel Wagtail. My second Channel Wagtail this year, following one at Leasowe in April. Channel Wagtail is a Yellow x Blue-headed Wagtail hybrid.