Castlemartin Corse - raptors!

Quiet for the first hour apart from the usual noises in the reedbed (water rail, Cetti's, moorhen, grey heron etc.) and a few warblers (whitethroat, reed). Quite a few swallows.

I settled into the hide- and half an hour later a superb male marsh harrier flew past, coming from inland. At least a 4CY bird, with uniformly grey underwings apart from the black primaries. It flew in hunting mode down the reedbed to Starman's Hall, dropping out of sight occasionally, and back. As it flew over the extensive blackthorn scrub in the reedbed in front of the hide, it flushed an immature goshawk. Judging by the size (not that much smaller than the marsh harrier) it was most likely a female. I had good views of the two in my binoculars together, the harrier retaining the height advantage, before the goshawk moved away to the east (hidden by that infernal hedge) and the marsh harrier did likewise a few moments later. No chance of a photo of the goshawk, I didn't dare take my eyes off the two of them. I scrambled out of the hide and through the gap in the hedge but couldn't relocate them. Two of the three juv kestrels that have been about were hunting. 

A good butterfly day also - still a couple of clouded yellows in the lucerne near Starman's Hall, and a few second brood small heaths as well as the usual stuff.