Fryday's Fun

Started at Hope's Nose [oh, there's a surprise]. The ground was very quiet - I eventually found a few Chiffs and Blackcaps - but overhead a decent-sized flock of Woodpigs came in/off and there was a steady movement of Mipits and alba Wagtails, plus a few Goldfinches, and a small party of Siskin.


It was briskly sharp, and I figured that hey, maybe the season was indeed turning, so I was fairly wrapped up when I got up on't Moor and started ambling down into Vitifer, entertaining hopes for seeing birds with varying proportions of black and white on them.


Before I even got to the start of the workings, I'd already had an unexpected find;

Flint scraper,

presumably Mesolithic

The nice thing about Dartmoor when it comes to stone tools is the utter lack of native flint. If you find flint up there, it's been brought there by a person. This was just lying by the path, freshly washed out of the soil. I'm sorely tempted to wax lyrical about the ancestor who made and used this, millenia ago, after a successful hunt.. But I'll spare you.

Getting back to business..
The sun shone and while the wind was indeed cold it was very well-sheltered down in the valley and through most of Sousson's plantation as well. You could call it balmy, even. I wandered down to the shrike spot - being chakked at by invisible Ouzels on the way, the gits - and with no shrike in evidence, settled down to wait it out.

The Sousson's clearfell 

looking towards Birch Tor and Vitifer

And looking the other way

Anyways, with sun shining I fully near-expected the shrike to be out and about, spreading fear and terror amongst all things smaller than it. Sitting atop snapped trees and generally looking gorgeous. Any time now it'd show up on its circuit, right?

Right?

Nope.


I did see an impersonator, which was doing a very good impression, moving between perches very low and dropping on things with vim and venom;

Jay!

Also joining in were Buzzard and Kestrel, but no proper shrike to be seen.
One rapid consolation blazed past from behind me, though.. Yeah, did it again, female Merlin!

:)

After meeting three other birders who'd also failed to see anything shrikey, I decided to take a wander over to the west side of Sousson's, then check Warren House valley, before trying the back gerts above Vitifer. ::Deep breath::

So, west side was a bust, but heading to the ridge gate, I met the Crossbills [who'd been vocal but not so visible]. Ta and indeed da;

Peekaboo!

Lookout failed to notice the interloper..

How many?

Biggest flock was a mighty 9!


Right, after trying and failing WH, it was the fun way along the top of Vitifer. There's an old path I used to use quite a lot; it contours high up the hillside, and is nicely positioned to let you see pretty much everything without being silhouetted while also being surprisingly well-sheltered from the wind. Sounds good, right?
 

 Surprise!

Stealth gert

Stealth Rowan

[You can't see that one from the valley floor ]

 
Well, not so good to others, as aside from the first sections [where those were taken], even the ponies haven't been using it so much and oy, it was hard going in places.. Bracken, eroded sheer bits.. arg. I suffered for my efforts, but then I heard that sound again; 'chak!' Only now the little git was below me.. >;)

I turned down the gert in question and.. Yes, a couple of Ring Ouzels. :D  I stealthily approached an overlook to get a shot of them stuffing their little faces in a Rowan and- Shrike! From right below me, too. The Ouzels flew, the shrike flew...

 Not so hard to see from above, are you?

 It also became immediately apparent that I hadn't flushed the shrike, as it was being harried by a bruiser;
 

"Grr!"

Then I saw the three amigos coming up the valley, and some frantic waving got them on the bird.. Or not, as it turned out, due to distracting Ouzels. Fortunately I went down to be sure, and got them on the shrike. Much cooing ensued.

Then to add insult to camera-avoidance, a cracking male Ring Ouzel flew right over us and vanished into a Hawthorn. So, at least 3 ROuzels [as the two up the gert were female/immatures].

Result.

Also of note were some more ordinary winter thrushes; mostly Redwing. Biggest flock contained 45 Redwing and 9 Fieldfare.



Coming up tomorrow, the rest of the weekend [and some earlier stuff], starring The Patch and featuring some distant ducks!



Can't wait, can you?



Be Seeing You..