No One Expects The Spanish Inquisition!

Expecting Red-eyed Vireos to be utterly annoying sneaky bar stewards, on the other hand....


Yes, a few notable events in one little trip;

A REV I meant to go for not leaving before I could go.
Twitching a REV that was actually there when I arrived.
Seeing a REV!
Not given up after seeing it, but stayed on the rest of the day in an attempt to actually get a photo of a bird nobody has managed to photo yet.
[That last possibly being madness, but I think of as persistence]


Seawatching at 'Gwarra
Seawatched at 'Gwarra 'til sunset
Seen a Firecrest and got a photo
Seen a Turtle Dove and not got a photo
Seen something for the first time in 21 years, doing something I've never seen one doing before

Ok, enough of that silliness. No Vireo photo, but never mind, eh? The one on Scilly's been photo'd a lot if you want to know what they look like. What did I get camera on? Oh boy.
Get a load of this;

Zoggin' 'eck!

White Stork [plus Jackdaw]. This came cruising overhead and gave some distraction to the waiters at 'Gwarra; nothing like staying put for hours to see things flying over / past. The last time I saw a White Stork was in 1998. Yes, that far back! [I have dipped one since then...::Mutters about miles of stinking mud and heat and flies...:: ] I have never before seen one on the wing.

More things;

Buzzard

Kestrel

Sparrowhawk

Chough

So, back to the Main Event. Lots of waiting. Where?

"It's in there"

"About 2m from the top, next to the squiggly branch"

"Left of the gap, right of the spiky dead bits"

"...That's a very pale leaf."

Dialogue [almost] entirely invented, but you get the idea. It stayed mostly hidden in the copse by the Doctor's House [which is not called that], moving and showing in bursts about every two hours. Only three people saw it well [5 seconds or longer] while I was there. I got maybe 2; enough to sketch its bum [ahem] plus movements and flashes, with vast amounts of nothing in between.
The old-timers veterans talking about how "Oh Vireos used to be so easy, just down by the car park - step under the trees and look up at them" didn't help...
Birds, eh?
 Speaking of, while waiting, I did find something myself;

Firecrest.

Looking away again! 

After I called it [it appeared at the spot between those people's heads in that picture up there - they'd moved by then!], it naturally vanished, but after a few minutes worked back out into view and actually stayed there for people to see! :)
Also to see;

ID Challenge

Right, let's have some more of that wonderful White Stork. Because, well a frickin' stork! Flying! [My previous two were both stood motionless in fresh-cut hay meadows]

Classic pose

Carrying cargo

Yes, one of the Knepp Estate birds*; so a release, not an escape. There is, at least in my mind, a difference. Elders and Betters, and indeed Powers That Be may differ, but well, that's their right.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

[with mites]

Grasshopper!

Someone felt like posing!

I kept at it until the light went, even having a look up Hidden Valley [the bird showed again to one lucky chap while I was away, of course!], then scuttled up for a quick seawatch, because it's obligatory.

Westering Sun

Hella Point looking pretty

I didn't get much, you may be shocked to hear; about a Gannet a minute and one shearwater sp. - picked up with bins and lost in the gloom before the scope could lock on, so just 'sp.' without any further indication! [Not often that happens, most spp. are usually 'probably something but not sure'] - with the Gannets hanging about interestingly over one spot, but nothing surfaced in my view, alas.

Heading up there also gave me a surprise pop up Lesser Whitethroat in the Bracken, which vanished into said with alacrity as you'd expect.

Hisssssssssss

Time to go...

Long day, bit frustrating day, but the nice surprises - c'mon a frickin' Stork!! - made up for BTV of the REV. Ahem.



Be Seeing You...




[[* Rewilding project, released 22 White Storks - all with those ridiculously over sized sat trackers - in hope of starting a migratory breeding population.]]
[[ID Challenge; It's - obviously, look at the disclaimer - a female Chaffinch! :D ]]