Raptor Fest at Oxborough Hythe

A bright late afternoon and so off down Ferry Road in search of a short-eared owl with SP... Haven't been down there for months, possibly a year or more, but nothing much has changed. On the way down I thought I saw a short-eared owl quartering the meadow around where I saw the crane two years ago, but it disappeared out of sight and then a surprisingly dark barn owl popped out much closer, and flew across. The track along the river was passable but no birds on the river itself, only a kestrel flushed out of the trees there. Set off then across the meadow towards the pumping station (still standing!), putting up a couple of snipe and then a beautiful shortie appeared, busy hunting up and down, perching on a post and heading straight towards us on a couple of occasions. On one swoop it seemed to catch a mole. Great to see, and let's hope it stays for the winter! As we walked back, a possibly second barn owl appeared - this one seemed paler than the bird we'd seen earlier - and then a ringtail harrier, its white rump gleaming in the gloom. As it came closer, its very ginger-coloured underparts became clear, and the noticeably sooty underside of its secondaries.... Pallid??? Need to go back tomorrow and try and see the diagnostic collar that the books tell me is required for a conclusive ID.