Why Doing The Daft Thing Is Sometimes Very Right

 

After a Saturday morning spent doing important things, I decided against all sense of timing and daylight to have another go at Great Grey Shrike. It [or another] had turned up at Fernworthy, which is not only far further out of the way and with longer yomp-to-location than Vitifer, but didn't the forecast say rain was coming?

Even more so, wasn't I going to be there the next day with the Folks? [Ah, but dragging my Parents about on another wild shrike hunt would be bad form; we were planning for a nice walk and some cake, not sitting on a tree stump for several hours, staring at a blasted landscape, hoping a little grey bird would appear...]

 

 

Stuff it and other comments; just do it.

 

 

 

I got thoroughly mizzled and drizzled - enough to warrant waterproof trollies going on - but in a shock move I actually saw the bird! Twice! In flight, yes, but closer-to than most GGSs I've had the pleasure of.

I achieved this by going to the wrong place; fooling the crafty bird, which had shifted its position on learning I'd arrived. :)*

 

As the shrike had headed back towards where it 'should' be, I decided to follow.. Needless to say, with light failing I didn't refind it, however I did find something far more important; a fellow birder in distress, having had an argument with gravity which he'd lost thoroughly. 

The area being very out of phone signal, I helped him get as comfortable as I could [this is why when on t'Moor I always have a survival bag on me, folks!] and once his partner returned from their car with supplies, I went back through the dark to drive out to where I could a signal and get through to 999 [the reservoir overlook spot as it happens], then wait for the emergency services and liase with them so they knew exactly where to go once their atv arrived. The three magic words, it turned out, were 'Wicked Mission Marmalade'.

Kudos also to the young couple in the camper van who I flagged down, who took blankets up to help keep the poor chap warm.

I am glad to report he texted me the next day to let me know he was safely in hospital.

I'm just so thankful my feet carried me over there; I was telling myself while I was doing it that it was daft and pointless, I should be heading back down not going in entirely the wrong direction as it got dark, but they just kept on stomping. I hate to think what would have happened if I'd listened to myself....

 

 

 

 

 

 No photos in this one, I'm sure you understand.

 

 

 

 Coming up, The Next Day. [It's much cheerier and more like my usual fare; distant birds and proximal fungi.]

 

 

 

 Be Seeing You...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 [[* Turns out, this was where it had been seen earlier, photo from which sighting - SM did it again - was my prompt for going.. Go and indeed figure.]]