A Post I Forgot To, Er, Post

[[NB This was written Saturday evening, but for some reason I forgot to actually put it up... Anyway, here you go. A further post about Sunday will be forthcoming later in the week. It may even have some non-twitchy birding in it, believe it or not.]]


I am still unwell and will not be doing any awful shrike-related puns in this post.


I will instead settle for inflicting the phonescope photos I took before I gave up to coo, sketch, and coo some more over that wonderful little bird. Yes, all of them. [Mua-ha-ha-ha-haaa]

1w Isabelline Shrike

South Huish

Sadly, my phone really doesn't like subjects lit by the afternoon sun...

A very cute wasp eater.

"Like a Spot Fly from hell" was the comment I made at one point, after the bird had popped up onto the line right next to me and, front-on [while munching a jasper] and crown fluffed, it really did remind me of one. Not that different in size, either. [Just look at how it can't get its toes around the wire!]


All shrikes rock [well, unless you're smaller than they are, then it's quite another matter...], and Issys* are no exception, but this one was just..wow. Very confiding, and just so pretty. Ok, maybe not quite as pretty as the Portland one, but far better to watch!



What else it there to say? Got to the Nose on Friday and.. bah. Saturday I was crashed out - first catching up on lost sleep, then wasted by another one of those headaches..
I eventually cracked and went out anyway. I had stuff to do, so I resolved to defy my brain and had a toddle around Yarner. Which was nice and quiet. A few bands here and there, most birds around the feeders; Marsh Tits, Siskin, and Chaffs were the only things I saw that haven't been on my feeders [ :) ] too, but the day was saved by a passage of Redwing, with a couple of Fieldfare. They were going west, too. [Always nice to see migrants going the right way]. They were my first winter thrushes of the Autumn, and very nice too. Also a few finches [assorted] moving.


I'm typing nice too much. Must be the painkillers.


Laters.





[[*Like many far better birders, I have no time for all this 'daurian' nonsense. Yes, the split is right, but the latin name is perfectly acceptable; they've split Turkestan off, not disproved the existence of Isabelline.]]