Red-footed Falcon

I went to see the Red-footed Falcon at Barcombe Mills today. After a week of mediocre photography I was really hoping for some good pictures but your options are usually limited if there is any form of twitch going on and this would be a popular bird.

I was surprised then to find only one other birder, Mick Davis, on site when I arrived. We spent about fifteen minutes waiting for the falcon to start flying. I was not very optimistic but then it did a flyby, no more than twenty metres from us, and my spirits were raised. Better still it then flew back and landed in a tree and appeared to be checking us out.

What an opportunity

Female Red-footed Falcon

It then relocated to another tree and seemed happy to pose again.

It was all over in five minutes with the Falcon flying off across the field. People had started to gather and whilst I was sure that it would be back and that there would be other chances I didn't stay. I had my pictures and I doubted that I would be able to improve on them.