The flight of the Slimbridge cranes

I returned to Slimbridge this morning as I didn't want to miss the opportunity provided by the continuing mild weather. I'd also read that a peregrine falcon had been seen yesterday at the hide I like to visit overlooking the River Severn. I packed some sandwiches, a thermos flask and set off.

I did see the peregrine but at a great distance.  It perched on a post right on the edge of the river in a break in the reeds and I spotted it flying from that perch onto the ground where it seemed to have found a prey.  Two blackbirds arrived and began to mob it which resulted in a various stand-offs between them all and quick flights to avoid raised talons, I believe. I would like to have shown it but on reflection the image is too small to be blipped.

Whilst watching I also saw many flocks of geese flying down onto the pastures for a graze and then just as suddenly departing. I spoke to several other visitors including a man who was closely observing cranes, noting down the patterns of their coloured marker bands on their legs affixed after they were born. There is a big project to track their movements and he had a chart which even gave the names of each bird.

I counted fifteen cranes in all dotted about the riverside meadows, sometimes flying in small groups and then at other times just grazing. At one point two of them flew in to view, landed and then proceeded to leap about each other, spreading their wings in their typical display, as if doing a mating dance. It did make me laugh as they are rather ungainly but very endearing.

As I was sitting in my car having a cup of tea just before leaving for home, I saw this group in the distance and then realised they were heading towards and over the car park. I hurried to the back of the car and took my camera out again and just managed to grab this picture before they headed off and away from Slimbridge on a special jaunt. They are a wonderful sight especially when they are flying together.