Keeping At It

Another week, another.. attack of the broken birder. I have acquired an unhappy shoulder, which while expressing said lack of happiness in pain, still needs to be kept moving [carefully] as it may seize up if left alone and that could get very bad.

Joy.

Fortunately, my lovely doctor has prescribed some only slightly scary drugs [I always read the sheets, with all the possible side effects. Though not too close to bedtime..] which have made my life much easier. Or at least less painful [isn't that the same thing?] so I can, for example, type this without gritted teeth [whether you can read it the same way is of course another matter... ;) ]. I am being careful with it; no strain, so long distance driving and lugging heavy loads are out, but actually doing things is good. :)

Thus reduced service but not no service; so no scope-toting or long-range fun for this little black duck, and just when people are finding Radde's and Booted Warblers over there... ::Pained sigh:: [[We're not even mentioning that thrush......]]

[Yes, irony is ironic like that, what can you do?]

I have indeed been getting out in a restrained manner, and will inflict a few [as goggle are trying to blackmail me into paying them money for what I already pay data for] photos on you, even...

Right then! First up, time to show you the true horrors that can be - with the right rituals and blackest sacrifices - summoned up from the foulest pits of the Hell known as RECORD SHOT... [Shudder? Look away? No, no... Run, run you foooooooooool......]

You want to see a proper bad record shot? Oh boy have I got a pair for you...

That is a Yellow-browed Warbler

Really.

Yes, drink it in, the true dreadful awfulness of it.

See with incredulous eyes how the autofocus locks onto the twigs in the foreground, shudder at the horrid pose of the bird, quake in terror at the way the 'tog can't even be bothered to centre it........

[Ok, that's for a reason]

Also note a dumpy little green on top bird, with wing bars and wrap-around supercilia and go "oh BLEEP that really is a YBW... I can't say rude things about him on twitter. Drat!"

Here's an even worse accompanier,

Oh, the horror, the horror...

It's moved left [yes, that's why the first one was off-centre...] and you can see it's leaf green above and silky white below.

This was, well actually above IMD at Brandy bend, showing that the one from there last weekend has stayed in the area with the local band [they've found a couple of Firecrests, too]. Said band is mobile about inaccessible wooded cliffs and private gardens, but gets close every now and again and is maybe worth risking getting run over on the road, which is only a 20, so you're probably supposed to be wandering about in it. Maybe. 

Or try from the raised footway, though you may have greater foliage issues.

Closer to and posing a bit better;

Ivy Bee!

[and photobombing Green Shield Bug]

Possibly Verlusia rhombea

Fungi thin on the ground on Patch, but here's

Meadow Puffball

Now three Dutchmen in the Bay

I also had the opportunity to briefly sneak onto The Artist's Patch and have quick shufti for YBWs at Clennon! A very quick one, unfortunately, with three Little Grebes, a couple of Gadwall and a sneaking group of Teal seen at a passing glance only as I scurried up to try the top end. [In my defence I really only had minutes]

Needless to say, I failed to find any small visiting warblers, but I did get a couple of late-lasters;

Emperor

Common Darter

That last one's not too shabby. :)

Coming up; a day out in two trips, with even more badly out of focus pictures. Also fungi! [Some of them badly out of focus, too....]

Be Seeing You...