Blue river

With Jenny's sister arriving tomorrow from merry old England, we had a post-work shopping trip to take care of. Having resigned myself to a birdless evening, we actually got the groceries in the car and back at home by 6.30 or so. So you guessed it, I managed a quick dash down to the estuary.
First up was a lovely male yellow-rumped warbler near the big oak. Then, seeing as a family (rug-rats in tow) was bumbling around, I decided to forego a scan from the platform and headed out onto the marsh to see if any owls were out there.
I spotted a distant bird on a post and checked it out through my bins. Huh? That looks like a mountain bluebird? Deciding it was probably a dusky female swallow, or something, I walked on extending my tripod legs as I went. Raised my bins again. Bloody hell, it does look like a mountain bluebird! Got my scope on it and bagged it. What a crippler! I've only ever seen this species once before, in Alberta - several years ago so - I was well chuffed with this - a BC tick!
I watched this handsome chat for some time before deciding to have a look around at what else might be lurking in the area.
A short-eared owl came out to play, as did a female northern harrier but other than a handful of violet-green swallows it was all quiet. I had another good look at the bluebird, which was getting restless and heading toward the long hedge, then decided to leave at about 7.30pm. Just as I got in the car I noticed a raptor gliding in from the estuary. It was obviously another harrier, this time a stunning adult male. Nice way to finish a visit that almost never happened...