SAKER PHOTOS

Pete Merchant kindly sent me these photos he took recently of the saker falcon when he saw it a few days ago at the country park on Friday 11th. He watched the bird perform for about an hour in the morning, here sitting on the old oak tree at the back of the fields. Unfortunately the weather conditions were dull and gloomy so the photos appear quite dark.

The saker was first seen at the park on the 24th October with no real reports since then. The day after these photos were taken, the bird was seen and photographed perched on top of an electricity pylon at the nearby Abberton reservoir the following day.


The bird put on an impressive flight display both over the fields and also as it hung in the air above the cliff. The bold streaks on the chest and underwing coverts indicate this is an immature female bird.


All the other birds scattered when the saker flew past.


A size comparison showing the broad chest of the saker can be seen with it flying beside this immature herring gull.