Black Hawks Down

The Settling Beds have been living up to their name over the Christmas period. On a good evening up to 17 Marsh Harriers and a ringtail Hen have been gathering, circling, and dropping into the darken reedbed, disappreaing into the gloom, swallowed up by the shivering seed heads. They emerge at dawn, silvery frost stiffening their tails, and after a brief circuit, they're off across the fields. The evening return has been difficult to glean, with dull sunless days bringing them to roost early, and a bright sunset seeing them silhoutted in the bushes and patrolling the reeds for an extra hour. Always, the Hen Harrier arrives late and drops in quickly.