An unexpected visitor dropped in...

I was out early again, firstly to have a look round Barnack Hills and Holes where I was hoping to photograph Man Orchid (first blip choice).The Pasque Flower seed-heads made a wonderful sight, covering some of the slopes with a soft greyish-purple haze, and I took a few images of them (more blip choices).

I then went to Southorpe Meadow to do a reconnaisance before returning next week to record NVC quadrats. There were quite a few more orchids there, including some fine Southern Marsh-orchids, a Common Spotted-orchid, a solitary Green-winged Orchid and several hybrids of somewhat uncertain origin.

I returned home shortly after 11, to find a cacophony of corvids in the back garden. They were at least eight crows and perhaps more magpies, all cawing incessantly. I scanned the conifer tree where they'd congregated, expecting to see either a red kite or a buzzard, as that sort of response usually indicates a raptor is about. There was nothing obvious so I came in to the computer and started processing my photographs.

A little while later the door bell rang. I opened it to find a man with a radio tracker and falconry gauntlet, who told me that he'd lost his bird and thought it might be in our garden. He came through and the tracker started bleeping furiously when directed at the tree full of corvids. He whistled, but there was no response, and we still couldn't see a hawk.

Eventually he spotted his bird, on the ground in a shaded corner near our shed, where she'd just finished devouring a magpie. She's a juvenile Harris Hawk, which he was using at the nearby school to deter the seagulls that tend to gather on the playing fields. She got excited by the wind and chased off after a flock of gulls, and then presumably caught her magpie. It's a good job our chicken wasn't out, otherwise she might have devoured her.

I asked whether I could take a photograph, hoping to include the falconer, who was a charming and rather handsome Irish man. But he said he was shy, so instead you'll all have to be content with a very greedy Harris Hawk!

PS Thanks for all the lovely comments, stars and hearts on yesterday's quaking grass. I'm glad so many agreed on its beauty:) I'm very conscious that I'm not really contributing much to the community at the moment, but I do appreciate every comment and will hopefully have a little more time once July is over, if I can keep up the pace, that is!