Spring raptor passage is always a fickle beast up here (as opposed to my inner London patch, which was always reliably good), and this month was no exception; conditions were generally unhelpful and there were no stand-out no days as there have been in previous Aprils. It's already been better than last year's equivalent period, however, and with most of May still to come, there's plenty of opportunity for picking up broad-winged migrants on suitably thermal-rich days.
Common Buzzards have been numerous, and I've had up to ten going through on several days - and it's been interesting to confirm that of those I've photographed (the majority), all were new birds and none were double-counted. The pick so far has been an Osprey which I had powering into a cold northerly headwind on 22nd, with a couple of Marsh Harriers doing likewise, and Peregrines have provided some good views - particularly an immature that I bumped into at very close-quarters on the clifftop recently.
