A Red-footed Falcon at Elmley

6th October 2022

I have photographed Red-footed Falcons on two previous occasions before but when one was reported at Elmley it was just too much to resist. It normally takes an hour or so to travel up the entrance track as there is so much to photograph on the way, sometimes just outside the car window, but today the pools and streams on the grassland were bone dry so no water birds.

However, one of the drainage ditches remained full and had attracted four or five Cattle Egrets which were intent of feeding and not at all bothered by the metal hide. I wish it was always this easy.

Up at the farm one of the resident Kestrels was putting on a show and this time the wind and sun were in the right direction so the bird was facing the sun.

But now on to the the business at hand, the Red-footed Falcon. The bird was hunting over a tree plantation along the mature tree-line and hunting the numerous Migrant Hawker dragonflies which were also feeding there. Between forays the bird liked to perch on one of the posts by the field providing very good views. 

But it was when it took to the air that it showed its speed and agility. During flight you could see the pale fringes to the various wing coverts, typical of a juvenile bird.

It caught many hawkers and can be seen here bringing one to a post to eat.

However, on most occasions the hawkers were carried and devoured on the wing.

But the best bit of all was the speed and agility of the bird which was breath-taking. On occasions it would fly past the line of birders at head height and just 10 feet away at a speed of at 50-60mph.

Imagine being a Migrant Hawker and seeing this coming!!!

Well, once again Elmley turns up trumps and I wonder what will be the next attraction?