Mirror Mirror on t'Moor...

In a reflection of last week, I was again up on t' Moor today, shunning both the vast distance to Norfolk and the not-so-vast distance to Treeve....

Ok, if there had been anything like positive news in the morning I would have gone there anyway [["Such a tart, he needs Greenish Warbler..." I hear you cry ;) ]] but I figured it was very elusive before and a clearish night meant odds were bad. Likewise the Great Disappearing Warbler at Slapton.

So, what did I do? I went for a wander around East Bovey Head and environs - linking up and covering another little bit of t'Moor I hadn't actually walked over. I saw no rare birds. I did see a lot of Wheatears, including one which looked a lot like an Issie, but unfortunately not enough like an Issie [I thought it was just large gulls that were like this - ok, and small gulls - but it seems the passerines are getting in on the overlapping features nonsense too... I think we ought to complain.]. In a way I'm glad it wasn't, as calling it in would have been interesting; "Hello, Generic Rare Bird Reporting, what have you got and where have you got it?..........What?!? You don't get those in September, especially not in Devon! Are you sure it's not a Northern?....Are you really sure? Those juveniles have big buff fringes, you know......Have you got a photo you can-.....What do you mean 'I don't have a digital camera'?? What kind of birder are you??? CLICK-BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"

;) Ahem.

There were lots of Mipits on the move, a couple of the Wheatears moving with them it seemed, and several times I came across 20+ flocks sheltering in hollows. A single Swallow - a juvenile - looped repeatedly over a couple of sheep before heading off north. I tried telling it "Africa's thattaway!" but it wasn't interested. A foursome of Ravens beat last week, but they just flew over instead of showing off. A smart 1w female Reed Bunting was unusual that high up on the moor [they'll follow sizable rivers up a fair way, but the East Bovey was a trickle through a bog at that point], possibly trying to head south and wondering what went wrong...

[[EDIT]] There was a very long and highly impassioned rant, verging on occasion into legibility, about the vast numbers of grockles and their utter inability to drive, which I wrote last night [This being now Monday, I having wisely given up and gone to bed before finishing it]. I have removed it, deciding that while it was a very right and true thing, and that I felt ought to be read by anyone entering Devon, there are limits to which I can push you.

Going back to the title - I was sat in the shelter [Curious? Go look for it, its north of a Tor! ;) ] admiring the view, and my gaze reached Fox Tor - dark under clouds' shadow. I was sat there last week, looking the other way, with nooobody about and the sky full of clouds. Here I was, with people everywhere [I made a couple jump - all I did was say "Afternoon"... :D] and the sky full of sunshine. Last week, a Merlin, this week, a Peregrine. Last week not a sniff of Buzzard let alone Kestrel, this week, they were all over the shop.

Me doing the same thing - filling in the gaps, getting some exercise, not seeing anything rare, but enjoying myself immensely.

So there I sat in the sun, with the other side of the mirror looking back at me. Funny thing, how it works sometimes...