Catch-up Time

Seems time flies when you're working hard! I've had some nice sightings the past few days but don't think I've had two hours together for spotting at all! From the 27th a little Eagle landing action from the 'Heath.

Now for something a bit unusual. I heard a familiar noise near my home, the sound of a small helicopter hovering about and maneuvering but the notion of such happening in close proximity to where I lay my head down at night made me very curious. We don't often get the like hovering about the farm with any great fequency. A little peeking around farm buildings revealed a EuroCopter Squirrel in National Grid livery (a large UK utility company) obviously inspecting the high-rension power lines that run to the north of us. The helo had a nifty nose-mounted camera assembly not unlike that seen dangling from police units. Odd how it often ended up pointed at me even though I was located opposite of the power line.

And believe it or not, the day would end even better than imagined: the B-1B Lancer mentioned by my buddy Nigel on his blog caught in the dark of night departing RAF Mildenhall. It was dark, it was cold and I don't mind telling you that I struggled like crazy to get a couple the images you see. The blur of lights in the top image is an Air Force vehicle clearing the runway of vermin that might affect the departure by getting sucked into one of the Bone's four massive engines. Takeoff was full afterburner the entire length of the runway and more than a minute after liftoff and parts of my body physically ached during such. I can wait until it returns!