Here And There, Pt. 1

Work got in the way again, as it does, but did have the odd good moment in the last week. Two very good bits, in fact; with a reeling Gropper in the car park fringe Brambles first thing [and that's very first, alas..] on Monday - which made being back of days a lot easier, I can tell you! - and my first Swift of the year over south [!] on of all days Friday!


I was eventually free to go chasing birdies on Saturday afternoon, where I tried a late day visit to the Nose in the hope that some of all those lovely terns  that went by Berry Head the day before were lurking in the area. This is not that daft, as evenings are often quite good for locally passing terns - which often forage in the Bay after the petrolheads have given up - and of course the light is then behind you.

No such luck, but I did get a PYT - Whimbrel past calling away merrily. Optics [not the Whimbrel, though]

Nowt rare there

Let's have some pretty flowers as I couldn't get birds

Sunday dawned cold and windy and a lot like Winter Had Come Back.. But I was undaunted and set out horribly early anyways. This was a good call.

There were Willow Warblers everywhere. I counted seven by the time I got down the Nose, and while the blustery wind made shooting active green birds among leaves not the easiest thing in the world, that didn't stop me trying.

Woooooo!!

And look at that little beauty. :D
Now, you may think seven singing WW's isn't very much, but as I've had a total of four so far this year..? Yeah.

I failed to find anything new for the year on land - the wind was really not helpful showing what it had dropped in - but I managed to again score when I took a look at the sea; Redshank! As with the Whimbrel the day before, a couple yarking away as they passed by northwards.

Promising weather?

Also several Fulmars moving north, including one very tatty one which managed to avoid me even trying to pull the shutter with an amazing Houdini manoeuvre.. :(
Heading south were a couple of Puffins [avoiding the weather to the south and east, I expect] and a cracking s/pl GND that was too far out to get a lock on. Total shame as it was typically stunning. Oh well.

So just look at the WW again, maybe?

Or this poseur;

"Hey - I thought he wasn't doing that any more??"

"You're right, he's got that camera again.."

"Let's just look the other way until he gets bored"

Visit over, I had time to get home and sneak a quick cuppa [Getting up far too early has the odd perk..] before meeting the Folks for an amble up on t'Moor! Yes, we defied the north wind and out we went. What where and so on shall be revealed. Next time on Backward Birding!


Be Seeing You...