A Suweet Suweet Day.

Apologies for the brevity, but I haven't been to bed yet... [[No, I'm not going for the Tanager; nice bird, oh yes, but elusive + vast hordes + narrow confines = I'll wait another 29 years...]]

Another week of work done and once again it was out for first light [how handy these dark mornings are.. ;) ] at the Nose, where a quick look before I had to take the li'l car to be serviced got a bit extended when a Yellow-browed Warbler started calling from a big chunk of bushes on the Lower Slope.... Nice to know I wasn't hallucinating last time. I gave it, well, a lot longer than I'd intended being there, trying to get eyes on the little bugger, but it wasn't playing ball. Tearing myself away and legging it up the hill [[Ouch... Doesn't get less steep]] I had to collapse in a wheezing heap by the gate go and spend the morning in Paignton while my car was in the garage. Where handily [Famous Devon Birder] had found another one the day before.

I toddled over to Clennon {{despite much temptation, not inside the Patch, despite me walking there - you've got to draw lines somewhere and it really is [Famous Devon Birder's] turf.}} and after a surprise point-blank pop-up encounter, the Yellow-brow proceeded to taunt me by hiding in a dense band of Willows and calling like there was no tomorrow. It then shut up and hid. After an hour and a half I had to be getting back, with the consolation of a couple of male Blackcaps [only other warblers on site - indeed no Chiffs for me anywhere, either] and some very vocal Water Rails on the bottom pond, plus a few Gadwall and Shoveler, 3 Little Grebes and both Grey Heron and Little Egret. A hawker sp. was on the wing by the Spring Pool [the Yellow-brow was lurking a bit further down, in the mangrove-like willows bordering the next pond], but it didn't show well enough to ID.

Getting home I had a quick bite then back to the Nose. No joy. A female Blackcap was the only warbler. Several LTT bands about, but not even a Goldcrest with them... Oh well. Other than the morning's excitement, it was very quiet - early on a few Mipits, alba Wags, and the commoner finches were moving, but no massive numbers. I felt like one of those days when you console yourself with the knowledge that all the empty hours buy the full ones.. and then; Suweet!

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