WTE

I popped home for lunch and checked my phone to see a text from Mark, about an Osprey off Turf at 12pm. Grabbing a cup of tea I went out into the garden, and after a couple scans, picked up a distant 'blob' with the unmistakable silhouette of White-tailed Eagle! I hoped it would head towards me but it moved off in a north-easterly (ish) direction, from somewhere way north of Lympstone. I needed to head back to work but fired off a text to Mark with words to the effect of 'no sign of an Osprey but a WTE going north-east'. I picked the bins back up and quickly picked the bird up again, this time heading back in a more south-easterly direction. Always too distant for a photo unfortunately (though of course I tried!), but it later transpired it had been seen going over the Warren at 120pm, and was over Beer at 330-430pm. It's one of the Isle of Wight release bird and it'll be interesting to find out its exact movements. If follows hot on the heels of an immature female I had almost exactly a year ago, over Blackhill Quarry - see here. With high pressure and clear conditions it's probably more productive to be looking skywards than for grounded migrants at the moment...