"I Saw It. Honest"

Post title as promised to a Famous Devon Birder yesterday, after one of the most ridiculous "It's in there, really" situations I've ever had the pleasure of. To be fair, it was in there, really.

Yes, it was a long day yesterday, trying to get a good view of a Crossbill with Two Barred coverts, preferably one good enough to get a photo. [As these days, if you don't get a photo, it didn't happen.] Hearing it was easier - it even gave the trumpet call at one point! - but for whatever reason, it was playing silly buggers. Maybe it was playing up the the crowd, maybe it was the Saturday factor, maybe it had just gotten out of the wrong side of the roost..

It's just a finch, really

Now, taking pictures of Crossbills of any flavour is not easy, as you might have noticed from my efforts. They like sitting up the top of hundred foot high conifers, and tend to be dark against bright skies, to boot.

But they are so very pretty, and a lot more varied than 'red ones and green ones';

Red one in a tree

Green one in a tree

Yeah, you see what I mean.
Now, if you are very favoured by the Goddess of Birding, you might find one on the deck, where you can not get photos due to your useless autofocus try to get better pics;

"This is my good side"

"I'm flying without wiiings!"

"Show-off!"

"I've just got out of the gym"

"Real Crossbill are red!"

"If that's your attitude, I'm staying up here.."

Lots of Crossbills, showing wonderfully.

As a point of interest, the show-off Crossbill is showing nice wingbars, of the kind regular Common Crossbills sometimes have. Note how the bars are formed by thin even fringing to the coverts. With the Two-barred Crossbill, the bars are formed by white tips, making the bars both thicker and less neat and even. Rather Chaffinch-like, if you see the bugger flying past you.


There were also Siskins and some cracking Redpoll in the same trees [though not showing off like the Crossbills were]. Willow Warblers were everywhere, with Cuckoo and Tree Pipits notable out on the heath, and singles of Hobby [It cruised right over; I would have got a wonderful photo, but autofocus said no] and Swift overhead.


I should get to where I was, for the befit of those with lives who don't chase tweety birds; Haddon Hill, south of Wombleball Res, and on the edge of Exmoor. Just over the border in zumerzet - so be out by dark or they'll sacrifice you to the worm go  [[Ahem]] and reached by a lovely drive up the Exe; I was even treated to a flypast Pied Fly! Travelling early, I managed to get through Eggsitter without chaos, and while Tiverton's Escherian roads sent me out the wrong way again*, I didn't do too badly.

It wasn't just standing [ok, and sitting - having played these games before, I took the foldy stool along]. I took a break from the long wait to stretch my legs up said hill, which is the standard lump of Old Red Sandstone you find all over that part of the world; a reminder that yes, Dartmoor is special. As ever, I found myself going 'is this it?" at the top. A trig point and the view was pretty much it, and speaking of, here is a little of the view from the top;

Looking towards t'Moor

Turned around, the view towards Wombleball**

It wasn't just views and birds, here's some lovely ORS soil, just as a treat!

As you can see, despite being called red, ORS is actually more of a purple

This picture with free Tiger Beetle, for those poor souls who don't appreciate close up photos of bare soil [I feel for them, I really do].


As I said, I'd taken precautions [half a hundredweight of them, but necessary], as despite the site being right next to the frelling car park, I had seen enough Crossbills to know they can be buggers. Even so, I was a little surprised at how long I ended up staying there.. How long? A bit more than ten hours. Yes, that many.
True, the cold windy start was soon banished by ever-growing amounts of hot sunshine - coat and winter hat were changed to silly hat and nosi shirt - and there was always something to look at. No hour was Crossbill-less, either. It is a lovely site.
My attitude - and that of the final hard core [all locals, mind] - was that it had to show well eventually. Every single day before it had posed at least once, yes people had dipped but only when they gave up quickly***, so sooner or later it would show. Side on. On the deck.


I think he was laughing even harder than you are.



Still, I managed to get there and back in one piece - not bad seeing as I'd last slept on Friday afternoon - which may well be more than one driver can say. As I was coming back along the M5 [like I was going through Exeter on a Saturday night!] a 4x4 went past at what was well into the 90's if not a ton. As I was in the middle lane at the time in my li'l car - performing a very safe and legal overtaking manoeuvre, of course - I was paying no small amount of attention to this fool, and then what do I see from the line of traffic behind me, but another vehicle pulling out and accelerating hard, too. Then the blues came on. :D Gotta love an unmarked police car, and I hope they got him good.




Be Seeing You..



[[*While there are far worse places to attempt to drive through - Bath and Salisbury spring to mind - the seemingly simple 'follow the route to the north' through Tiverton just won't work****. I suspect a Cthonian planner was employed to inflict non-Euclidean geometries.... ]]
[[**Yes, I know it's supposed to be Wimbleball, but come on.. :) ]]
[[***For a given value of 'quickly', I admit]]
[[****I know where I went wrong, but doubtless they'll have changed it again by the next time I try it.. ]]