Buzzard over

Several hours of patiently waiting in my garden in fine weather finally paid off today with a Common Buzzard drifting over ESE early afternoon. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. My tenth from the house over the years, and sixteenth overall. With several over Walthamstan yesterday, it was only a matter of time I suppose. I don't think they can be called rare, but you have to be fairly lucky, or do a lot of sky-watching. Or both perhaps. The real reason I put the hours in is for that one day when an Osprey goes over. I'm still waiting....


In other news, my umpteenth early start this morning produced no Wheatears again - where are they? - and the ever-reliable Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, this time from the copse nearest the Esso Garage on Aldersbrook Road. Had a female there on Tuesday, so perhaps the same bird. If you do want to see one of these getting-harder-to-see birds, the small copses on Wanstead Flats at around 6:30am seem to be producing the goods on a fairly consistent basis.