In just a few years the marsh harrier - it could be argued - has become the signature bird of Weymouth Wetlands having successfully bred twice on each reserve since 2009 following a Dorset-wide breeding absence of almost half a century. The early weeks of 2012 have seen a steady stream of harrier activity with three individual birds active across the two reserves. The harriers provide a welcome reminder of an ongoing conservation success story and provide ourselves and our visitors some spectacular wildlife activity to witness.
Regular visitor Danny Dench had his perseverance rewarded with the capture of the following sequence of remarkable images witnessed from the Radipole viewing shelter. The raptor was in pursuit of a teal which eventually made good its escape having (unsurprisingly) proven itself to be a superior swimmer to the 'water harrier'.
All pictures © Danny Dench.
Many thanks to Danny for the photos. To sample more of his excellent pictures click this http://www.flickr.com/photos/51906028@N07/
For a reminder of last summer's harrier antics and to whet ones appetite as regards to what may lie in prospect as the year unfolds, click the following:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/weymouthwetlands/b/weymouthwetlands-blog/archive/2011/06/23/a-fearful-symmetry.aspx
It did indeed Cookie and as a wiser bird one hopes.