North Gower marshes

 

Had a couple of hours on the marshes of North Gower yesterday, and a few occasional long-distance sightings of Hen Harrier - indicating that winter is not far away.

These stunning birds come down in the autumn from the higher moorland where they have spent the spring and summer, and use the coastal marshes in particular for the winter. They normally hunt low over the ground, tilting their shallow V-shaped wings until they then twist and turn down onto an unsuspecting prey.

I always have a `hit list` of birds to photograph in the winter, the male Hen Harrier being one of them. With completely different plumage to the female in this long-distance shot, the male is a stunning and rare bird to see, pale grey with black tips to the wings, as if dipped in ink.

Others on my list again this year (hopefully!) are of course Short Eared Owl, Merlin, Bittern, and Rough-Legged Buzzard. However, there are lots of other great species to photograph which should be more easily to see, so fingers crossed.