The Flapjack Of Consolation

 

Rather than edit the last post, I'm just writing a new one.

 

 

So, we have me taking my only chance to try for the wonder and glory of a Sociable Plover [it's a plover, Lapwings are plovers, 'sociable lapwing' sounds silly, get over it]. If you've read my last post - spoiler alert - you'll know I failed miserably, along with everybody else. [Only for the *^&£^£@&^% thing to swan about the next day, then really start playing les buggeurs risible... Birds.]

Here's a little more detail and some pictures. They're mostly taken in howling gale and sideways rain, even the 'sunny' ones [it was fun weather], so even worse than usual.. Oh well.

That Field, Crows-an-Wra

This is after all the birds have flown, in the afternoon, with sunshine and a lack of sideways hail.

Earlier, with plovers.

As well as vainly hoping a little bird would wander up out of the dead ground, I did a lot of wandering around the area; looking for fields like that one, finding a few, and also finding absolutely no plovers in them. As it was mostly raining and very windy, no pictures of, well, nothing [I know, you're shocked]

 

I was not alone in this venture, though maybe the proportion of 'going looking' vs 'cowering in car' was not great... 

When things cleared up a bit, and the wind eased from 'blow you away' to 'not quite a gale', I tried a bit further afield, to places the bird had been in previous days. These had all been checked already, but not by me, so what the what.

Boscawen-Un circle

At least I didn't dip that..! [Ahem]. After visiting the circle, back up to the lovely view afforded by Creeg Tol [drop by, it's worth it]. This was what I would have done far more of if the weather had behaved, [same tactics I used with the Pelican, btw];

 

View from [cowering next to] Creeg Tol

 

Lots of nice fields off in the distance; this is what Big Scopes are for! Zero Lapwings and only one overhead flock of Golden Plover. Hmm.

 

Nearby, a field the Sociable had once visited [walls twitcher-scarred] contained no plovers but some thrushes. I didn't set the scope up, just gave them a quick bin scan and opened up with the camera before it started raining again..

 

Fieldfares and Blackbirds

 

Fieldfares and...

What the Frick is that?!?

Really odd Fieldfare?? Serves me right for not digging the scope out.

Anyways, after finally [and lastly, he says with just a little pride] admitting failure, I found myself passing Hayle with some daylight left, so swung by to mutter darkly to myself and try to find something for the day.

Ryan's Field and...

look closely.

Yes, up in front of those great big rain-packed clouds! Two great big huge flocks of Lapwings! About 380 in all, and I scoped each and every one of them. Because it would be so funny if... Wouldn't it?

Looked even more closely, have you?

No chance.

I stomped over to the causeway to look at Lelant. Scope into a gusty drizzly wind and oh my look at all the birds.

The birds are out there...

Time for Spot The Birdie!

Yes, I mean the line of gulls at the back.. Which is the far back right in the first photo, btw. [C'mon you don't get decent pics on this blog]. I can attest, with the certainty of a massive scope [and a convenient turn of the head] that the adult Ring-billed Gull is in this picture! Can you see it?

;D

Oh well.

Wigeon.

Slightly closer.

Teal.

Because females are lovely, too.

Finally, as well as the hordes of Herring, Black-headed, Great and Lesser Black-backed, Gulls [oh, a couple of other spp., too], and the standard ducks and waders you'd expect on a muddy estuary at low tide [no, I didn't see a Curlew Sand, alas], there was, finally, back at a wind-blasted and thoroughly wet 'hide', a Curlew and a Redshank, which wandered into view.

I munched a flapjack [one of mine; a little too nutmeggy, but not bad for several months old!], was inspired to a blog title or two, and watched them do their thing.

I felt a mote better.

Then, when I arrived back at my li'l car, I got mugged by a Robin.

Unphased by the flash

This little devil flew up and landed on my parcel shelf, right next to me! Then cocked her head and went "If you don't give me some rations, I'm going to fly into your car, land on your headrest, and empty my bowels all over your seat. And I had a curry last night."

Ok, Robins can't actually talk, but this was clearly conveyed. I had no choice but to dig out my only remaining food and hand some over. It vanished with enough alacrity to suggest it had been slim pickings that day. [Cars had been present, and folks were even then coming and going, but evidently no food on offer for a poor starving little bird and it December, too....]

Aside from a Curse Unto The Seventh Generation on whoever is responsible for the average speed cameras on the whole Fowey road, that's it. The end of a dip that ranks with Short-toed Eagle, Elegant Tern, Terek Sand, White-crowned Sparrow... Argh, you get the idea.

Be Seeing You...