Tumbleweeds.....

Oh dear, this really won't do, will it?

I spend far too much time on platforms that will let me put photos up without compromising my system, you see. Makes it far harder to blog.

[Also ones that capitalise after a full stop, FFS]

It's not that I don't have ideas for posts, it's just that they almost invariably occur when I'm far from my keyboard.

I've been spending a fair bit of time looking for fungi recently. It's a standard Autumn activity for me, with Hygrocybes, Amanitas and Russulas my favourite quarry - though I'll photo anything, especially if it's new for me. 

Chasing [ahem] fungi under the trees, I was out until it got dusky on Sunday up on t'Moor, and so this led me to be in the right place - standing quietly on the downwind side of a handy conifer [they have their uses, you know] - at the right time to see a glorious Red Deer stag. He looked at me for a fair while before deciding I wasn't an issue and moving on past me. We're not talking touching distance here - maybe 60m at closest - but I watched him pick his way along a ridge and down into a valley for 20 minutes or so. I even got photos.

It was magical. Even managed to overshadow the slightly nutty sight of a flock of 73 alba Wagtails flying over to roost [and this is up on Dartmoor, not at the edge or near any significant settlement]. At least 130 went over, compared with ~100 thrushes and ~40 pipits. Birds, eh?

Much more expected sight of at least 37 [nice mirror] albas heading to roost at a similar hour in Towne on Tuesday. Also my first wintering Black Redstart. Though no pics yet [or even a sure sexing, but by vociferosity of calling I'd say a male!]

But back to that stag. Did I say WOW...? As I have said before and will say again, 'If you sit - or stand - quietly and wait, all sorts of things might be seen'. You don't need ghillie suits or hides, just be inconspicuous.

Well, this is better than nothing. I will be better and will be posting again, though I must alas add.. directly.

Be Seeing You...

RIP Walter Koenig

[And now you know]

Once Upon A Time...

...I started up a post on a certain topic. One I knew I'd get grief for if I ever posted it. That post is so old it even has pictures..!!

Which were the 'grief' part. I've just refound it and gone over it. I'm seriously considering posting it, now that I've given up on this being a proper diary of wot I dun. 

I was going to write something about seawatching. I got myself to the Nose this morning [far far too late, but that's another woe] and hit four whole hours. It was rather fun, especially once I gave up on a lot of the proper counting.. [Oh dear]

But I've spent far too much time on the Blast From the Past, so I don't have time to post the whole whimsical thing I'd intended.

It'll happen eventually.

I did FINALLY see my first Stormie of the year, [Ye Gods and Little Buntings, September..... September?!?!?] which was good. There will now be something put on Bluesky about it. Well, after I upload and go over the photos... It'll be there directly.

Be Seeing You...

Ok

Necessarily facing Reality, I'm not going to catch up.

So I'm going to change how I do this, as I'm not going to just abandon my blog. I'm far too stubb 

Instead this is going to be a place I talk about things I've done, rather than a chronicle of them. Posts will be as and when [[so no change there, then...]]; the as being as the Muse inspires and the when being when I can bring said inspiration to the keyboard.

Speaking of, I heard from an Irregular that his brother had seen a 'sea eagle' flying over my home on Tuesday [er, that's last Tuesday, not today..], the timing being while I was nearly but not quite home from my little excursion to the Backwater to eventually see the Red-necked Phalarope...

 

Even if he meant an Osprey rather than a White-tailed Eagle, I'm still gutted. Though not quite so: White-tailed Eagles have flown over and even roosted on my Patch many times [including in sight of where I am right now] but I have never ever ever seen one here.

Drat and other comments.

For news that might even be within days of it occurring, I direct you to my BlueSky, where you will [if you read the alt-text] hopefully even get some details. Though I cannot promise they will be pretty, you will get pictures there.

Be Seeing You...

Neither Is This

Having promised gargle not to be quite so sarcastic in future, I have been allowed back on my own blog.

Haven't finished the next marathon update ['I started it' is barely accurate, but, well...]. 

It rained yesterday. For maybe ten minutes, possibly fifteen. I was asleep and it woke me up, but [despite being on Nights] I didn't mind. I nearly danced in it. Ok, I was going to, but the birds got there first, and I couldn't flush the poor things. I have a shower and they don't. [[Dratted morals]]

Didn't rain again, hasn't rained since.

Bugger.

I actually did some twitching last weekend. This time last week, when I was amazingly untired and active, I saw the most wonderful dragonflies. It's been a dream to see Southern Migrant Hawker, and to get actual perched pics of one - and only needing four hours of searching and then waiting to do it - is still something that makes me very happy.

The next day I twitched and got great views of an actual Long-tailed Shrike. Another one of those 'never' birds. I must admit that the SMH is the greater of the two to me. And that the Broad-billed Sandpiper is still bird of the year.

Yes, shrike, yes reallllllly rare shrike, yes seen very close for well, four hours, too actually, but 21 fragging years of hurt...

Jinkies, look at all those words. I guess I do still have some blogging in me, after all.

I was wondering.

I shall, it seems,

Be Seeing You...

This Is Not A Proper Post

Just making sure you don't get your hopes up.

Sorry.

It is currently far too hot. Again. 

Love that global warming.

[[THIS BLOG HAS BEEN SUSPENDED FOR VIOLATING GARGLE TERMS & CONDITIONS REGARDING OVERLY SARCASTIC CONTENT]]

Moor Nonsense

We continue the sequence of overly-late, overly-long, yet still somehow far too brief posts.

Time having passed in ever-greater amounts, it is of course harder to remember what the frick I was even doing, over and above the notes in diary and notebook. Which makes telling interesting and sometimes even accurate tales ever more difficult in turn.

I am forced to balance required brevity with trying to make things legible. [For the usual debatable definition of legible]

So we shall see - back in the mists of three months ago [yes, really... Oh the shame] - how this goes;

Having succeeeded* - after a lot of effort, it must be noted - in not only finding Patch Wheatears at Hope's Nose but also seeing - and getting a lots of other people on - the Bittern of Bowling Green, I was a happier-than-recently birder. And also no longer tied to a [self-imposed and not entirely sane **] drive, able to consider doing Other Things.

Like get up on t'Moor.

The Moor, The Moor! Ach, there's nothing like it. [Yes, there are other uplands, but they are all too small or too glaciated. 😛]

Ahem.

I have a list of things I very much like to do every year, places to go and so on. One of them is to go and see The Man. And he is a man, the Beardown Man, as you can easily tell when approaching from the south. 😉 😇

The day after my precious Wheatear, I was up on t'Moor and off to Beardown Tors, Lydford and Devil's Tors, paying my respects, then Rough Tor, Crow Tor, and back via Beardown again. It's a nice loop, bar one impressive hillock that you almost literally climb. This time my best sighting was a group of 8 Golden Plover, plus an interesting thrush sp. flyover, and it was all hazy sunshine and 'I'm glad the horseflies aren't out yet' balmy goodness.

The following weekend, a late start saw me seeing another favourite menhir - the Laughing Man - on my way to lunch at Huccaby Tor. No yearticks, but a nice time. For somewhere so close to such a busy road - for Dartmoor - it's very quiet.

There then follow Challacombe-Vitifer loops and Emsworthy visits repeatedly, with yearticks including Willow Warbler, Redstart, Cuckoo and so on.

This cycle was interrupted at the end of April by a proper walk, and another of my Required Things To Do;

Wild Tor! 

I had foolishly hoped that right before ten tors it would be quiet up there as the teams rested before the main event. Ho ho frickin' ho.

I am an old man and have forgotten how much energy you have as a teenager.... 

Yet another invisibly reeling Gropper was the best bird to tell you about [One day I will see one reel. One day.] and away from the chattering hordes [oh my days but the yapping.! I suppose it's just what they're used to on their phones, vocalised out of desperation?] it was as lovely as the high Moor always is.

Speaking of high, last month I walked the length of Hamel Down and this month the length of Corndon Down [one a bit longer than the other, 'tis true], in slightly different weathers - though wind was involved both times - though both without yearticks. I hadn't been up Corndon for many a long year, and it was good to be back there, seeing many views from different perspectives. Also Mistle Thrushes.

Getting up to date - on this topic, at least - yet another Vitifer-Challacombe loop on Sunday. This time with the Folks, sunshine, and a wonderful Red Kite! Picked up by Mum while it was below us [no bins, either] as we were approaching Birch Tor; "That doesn't look like a Buzzard". It thermalled up, showing wonderfully, before heading off west.

I have more to post - been to other places to see other things - but this is something, at least.

I shall [and hopefully far more directly]

Be Seeing You... 

[[* Yes, typo, yes left in as it amused me.]]

[[** But what is sane? And Who Decides What Is Truly Sane? Me. So, entirely reasonable and rational then. 😁 ]] 

I Keep Saying This

To myself that is;

"Got to write the blog"

It still doesn't happen.

There's so many other things to do. Many far more important than updating this. {And most of them aren't getting done, either}

The stupid format - [over and above the 'submit to our rules or post no pictures'], where any paragraph automatically adds a space, and a double space automatically adds a full stop, but does not automatically capitalise the start of the new sentence. which is so STUPID [see?] - really doesn't help matters.

That paragraph does make sense, if you read it the right way.

I had to wait, and suffer, and put in a lot of effort, this weekend. Twice. I was rewarded, but still.

Ok, I was rewarded with something I've waited TWENTY FRELLING YEARS for. I suspect if my head hadn't immediately tried to kill me, I'd be a lot happier. But hey.

[[I am happy about it, btw, but in a rather anticlimactic fashion. What will you do?]]

Anyways, until I either post something decent or resort to another of these things, I shall

Be Seeing You...