With A Touch More Verbosity

A little more burbling this time than last, I think.


So, Saturday;
A week after encountering Bailey Senior on't Moor, I met Bailey Junior at the Nose. We were both sneaking quick bits of birding in before Doing Things and we both had some success. I found the first Wheatear of the day, but then Mark went and got two more. It was a sunny windy day, but a couple of GNDs were visible on the sea, and further out a nice RTD flew south. Lacking heavy artillery, the best count I could get of Ore Stone Guilles was '220+', when the sun dipped behind a cloud and the light was at its best.

A notable lack of non-Wheatear migrants [though the wind didn't help] was only enlivened a little by my first 'lurking thing' of the year. A proper OTGA, the calls it gave were nothing I recognised - vaguely sylvia-esque - and it showed not even a hint of itself before scarpering in the face of territorial Dunnocks! I suspect a very common species* being odd - it didn't give me that edge you feel when something really different shows up - but we'll never know..

The Chiff had decided to be coy whenever I was near, but right up at the top, a lovely male Bullfinch sang and actually posed. At least until my hand went into my pocket for my phone...



Sunday afternoon I went for a wander with the Folks for the first time in aaages. Naturally we went to Yarner. Despite the brisk wind, it was very nice, though no Mandarin on display on the pond was a little disappointing. We heard lots of GSWs and Nuthatches and saw quite a few of them, too, which was good. I say 'we', but Dad managed to miss every single woodie... Ouch. He was wrangling the Little Black Whisthound, though; so both frequently yanked/spun/tangled and out in front, where it is hard to see people pointing to that tree.

After a good long wander, we got back to the car park to find a 1w Siskin on the feeders, which did show for everyone. :)







[[*Personal chief suspect is Blue Tit; Great Tits are infamously varied in their calls, but I suspect Blues are almost as bad, just sneakier about it...]]