Lakenheath Fen 5 Years On - Part 2

Having rested watching the Grass Snakes on New Fen, I continued up the river bank towards Joyce's Fen where most of the action takes place. As I approached the southern end of the fen I could count 20 Hobbies in the air at once. They spend most of their time hunting for insects over the reeds but occasionally make an excursion over the river bank to hunt along the river. Shortly after I arrived one bird did just this and I was able to rattle off a number of shots.

Nearly all of the female Marsh Harriers are now on nests so most of the birds seen are males. Although they will hunt over the reedbed they often cross the river and fly down the opposite bank out over the fields. I spent quite some time trying to get shots at a range of about a quarter of a mile but then the unexpected happened. A returning male started to cross back over the river but then drifted overhead allowing some close shots. I might have to wait a long time for that to happen again.