CRANES AT LAKENHEATH

   Back on Friday after seeing the Great Crested Grebes I could see in the distance Hobbies and Marsh Harriers at the far west of the marsh and reed area and so decided to walk along the river on the public footpath in the hope of getting better views of these birds and maybe even spotting the Red Footed Falcon that had been recently reported. After trekking along to the end of the reserve I had really good views of various warblers and other birds such as Whitethroats and Reed Buntings but unfortunately none of my targeted species came close enough to photograph however at one point I counted 15 Hobbies in the air at the same time along with 7 Marsh Harriers.
   Returning along the path towards the visitor centre slightly disappointed I spotted movement in the long grass and reeds to my right about 50 yards from the path. Stopping and crouching down with my camera I could see a tall head moving around and realised that it was a Common Crane. I knew that a few of these birds were living on and around the reserve but this was the first time I had been close enough for a decent view as they are a very secretive species. As I began to take pictures the bird emerged into the open a bit more and I could see that there was actually a pair of birds which were constantly looking around on guard. Trying to keep as low and quite as possible I continued to snap away for several minutes before the birds retreated back into the thicker cover of the reeds and I could continue back to the car feeling much happier with the day.

   Pretty much all of these photographs were taken into the bright sunlight so the colours don't come out really well but as they are the only images I have of these birds I had to include a few.