Wooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahem.
Ignoring blatantly plastic finches [never mind the colour, look at those feathers - the moult's out of cycle!] I instead twitched a proper bird today. I've been past Walmsley Sanctuary before, but this time I stopped there, and had 3 1/2 hours of Lesser Yellowlegs [with 'hiding behind the vegetation' breaks] as a wonderful reward.
I am pleased.
I am very pleased.
:D
Ok, ok, enough sillyness. As it was reported first thing from Burniere Point, I went there first - it of course had moved by then, [so had the Spoonbill] but at least 34 Whimbrel, some veeeery close, gave me something to look at. After playing Frogger with the bridge traffic I had a look at the sanctuary proper - very nice it is too, like someone took Exminster and squished all the good bits together [then added proper actual hides HINT HINT]. I was fortunate enough to meet Friendly Natives with shiny keys, and thus got to appreciate the Fabulous Tower Hide [[RSPB are you reading this?? ;) ]]. This was a Very Good Thing, as the Yellowlegs [plus all the other waders - 2+ Wood Sand, a Common Sand, 3 Dunlin, an LRP, 2 Ringos, 2 Lapwing and 24 Blackwit] were right at the back! Definitely scope range, but the Big Scope did it's duty [I love 75x.... :) ]
Wonderful bird, the Lesserlegs - like a phalarope on stilts! It could also scurry like a Dunlin - amazing on those legs - which it did with its neck held straight at a 45 degree angle! [[I'm using too many ! again, aren't I?]] Interestingly, the dark primaries really stood out - not just protruding well beyond the tail, but against the white underside and spangled coverts. The legs, though wonderfully egg yolk yellow, didn't always stand out - in shade or hidden by vegetation [or when it waded belly-deep].
I spent a lot of time watching it [ok, quite a bit of time watching it, and quite a bit of time waiting for it to come out from behind that patch of swords...] my watch said 3 and a half hours but it didn't feel like it. Mark of a great bird. I feel better.
You a member then Tom? I wanted to see this but thought I'd be wasting my time if I couldn't get in the reserve!:-(
ReplyDeleteNope, though I will be when I get a new job I think! I went on spec and hope! I met some Friendly Natives who were members, and kindly let me in the hide [they're a nice bunch over there :) ].
ReplyDeleteEven if you can't find anyone to let you in the hide, there is a chance to see it, as it also goes to the sluice into the estuary - seems to be early and late in the day [probably tide-related] - and it can then be seen from the Burniere Hide, which isn't locked.
Good luck if you go!