Just a quick note to say there were absolutely amazing views of a female hen harrier from the Visitor Centre this morning.
We were able to watch her swooping and gliding across the environs, a couple of times just metres from the Visitor Centre, near the bird feeders. She then seemed to be hunting over our compost heap towards the end of the path leading directly from the Visitor Centre looking for a mid-morning snack.
It was fantastic to see this red-listed bird up close. Of all our birds of prey, it is the most heavily persecuted. It earned its name predating free-range fowl, but today its effect on the number of grouse available to shoot is the cause of conflict and threatens its survival in some parts of the UK - particularly on the driven grouse moors of England and Scotland.
The pictures aren't great as she was moving quite fast, but hopefully they'll
give you a taste of what we were able to experience this morning.