Eleonora's Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon is one of those birds that, when the almost annual report of  a 'possible' comes through on the rare bird news groups, most birders roll their eyes. Theres been a grand total of 7 UK records - all since 1977 and none have been twitchable. 

Luckily a photo posted on Twitter as a Hobby being attacked by a crow at Sandwich Bay was soon reidentified as an Eleonora's Falcon. Maybe this one would stick? With a number of people out searching the bird was relocated the day we were leaving for a holiday with our two youngest granddaughters. Not an ideal scenario. 

As the days passed and it became apparent that the bird was settled and had got into a routine I dared to hope it would still be there when we returned.  It was and after agreeing with a friend, who'd also just got back off holiday, we met up with two of his mates and left for Kent at 3 am in the morning.

An uneventful journey sped by as we chatted about previous twitches we'd been on and birds we'd seen. As the time approached  7 am we went silent. News that the bird was still present had been coming out around this time so we waited anxiously on positive news. Sure enough the news came through just after the magic hour that the Eleonora's Falcon was roosting on the north side of its favoured wood.

By the time we'd parked up and walked round to the site it had moved to a willow where it sat partially obscured for the next hour and a half. The weather was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky and getting hotter by the minute. A heat haze made viewing anything at distance an issue. A female Red-footed Falcon had also been present on site and this showed distantly on wires as it made sallies to hunt before returning to perch. 

1st summer Red-footed Falcon.

With several Hobbies hunting and calling Cuckoos it was a fantastic wildlife experience. Seemingly the conditions were now right as the Eleonora's suddenly decided to start hunting and we watched as this superb aerial hunter caught and ate dragonflies on the wing. At times it soared almost out of site before twisting and chasing down another unfortunate dragonfly.

We watched the bird drift away past the field where we'd parked the car so decided to head back and see if we could see it from there. When we arrived the bird had flown even further away and was very distant. It came back later in the afternoon after we'd gone and perched again in its favoured willow where, luckily, Cliff, who'd had a tortuous drive back from Shetland where he'd spent the week, got this photo when he arrived early evening.

Eleonora's Falcon was named in 1840 by the zoologist Giuseppe Gene after Eleonora of Arborea (c1347 - 1404) and is the Sardinian Islands greatest heroine. She led her troops in battle  but was a politician and law maker responsible for the Carta di Logu. She also exhibited foresight by passing laws to prohibit the taking of hawks and falcons in her dominion and to protect their nests. 

It exists as two colour morphs  - a dark morph and a light morph (this bird). It's a long distance migrant that breeds on Mediterranean Islands but winters in Madagascar. Two thirds of the worlds population of 

the worlds population breeds on Greek Islands. All the UK records have been spring / summer overshoots apart from a freshly dead bird found in October in Yorkshire in 1981.

As well as the stsr attraction I also saw another new species down at Worth Marshes. Marsh Frog! This species isn't native but was introduced into Kent in the 1930's but have become well established. Why it was introduced from the Mediterranean I can't seem to find out.

A great day out and thanks to Neill for driving.  Hopefully the Eleonora's Falcon will summer here now and give many others the unique oppurtunity to catch up with this beautiful bird of prey in the UK