Took lunchtime out along a footpath at lunchtime, primary aim was to search skyward for migrating raptors - most notably, to look for Ospreys.
Whilst this might seem a little optimistic, the reality is that there must be several hundred birds pass over our heads each Spring, and several times that each Autumn.
Indeed, in Sept 2008 I spent a memorable few hours, looking skyward, in my back garden in Kent - and looking at the radio-tracked Ospreys, their routes are fairly north/south, without favouring the South-East corner.
Could I really repeat the exercise?
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First up, the usual Red Kites.
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And then the first Buzzard.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nfDNRhNmfVr30Mh-zsSAH-HRzfFeVVE2-sw3qms-wZeygwPBzZulZEcvEPmAlTKaF5t1AY7IrNT-76U_P0a3JIhdy8iZvH-M61mjqdrwcIE98I6IWiYO9r-UjJVMRELLiQG7qrrQYsg/s320/not+ross+21+march+2012+081.JPG)
More interesting was this large female Sparrowhawk.
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Three species of raptor, so far....
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My attention was then drawn to two very distant raptors - Kestrel and a Peregrine.
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With the Peregrine giving only record-shot views (it was so far away it could have been in Hampshire!).
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Five species of raptor in my lunchbreak and even a wee Long-tailed Tit gathering nesting material. Still, it was certainly worth some time looking skyward even though there was no Osprey to reward me!