May 2013

We've been holding our breath again this year to see if any Hen Harriers would return to the moor. It has been a very exciting few weeks .. click on any of these images to see them enlarged..

 This was a juvenile female marsh harrier which flew across the hill on passage north, a very unusual sighting at Langholm.

 Two male Harriers have been wowing us with their superb skydancing.. right over our heads.. just breathtaking.

 Some great sightings of female harriers too.. fingers crossed will they stay and breed?

 The local grey herons have been making the most of the wet areas of the moor and surrounding scrub and grassland to hunt amphibians.

 The male harriers showing off their incredible twists and turns.. it is not until you see a photograph that you truly appreciate the incredible ways in which they move... upside down, flying loops.. the hen harrier is an incredible bird.

 Migrants back in the woods and on the moor. Lovely to hear the song of the whinchat, piedflycatcher and redstart again.. signs of nest building in our moorland nest boxes, one redstart on 5 eggs already.

 The Hariers were displaying right over our heads...

many thanks to John Wright for these photographs.