White Wings And Wanderings. Pt. 3; An Icy Dish

 

After the Glory of the Glonk, I went happily home via the shops and switched on the computermabob with a cuppa brew to put up my news post [that one down there with no pictures] to alert All and Sundry to the Good News.

........

Ah.

Needless to say, leaning that That Cursed Bird had actually stuck and was showing Right Then made me go Looney Tunes; assemble kit, make lunch, pack above, don'tforgettoshutthewindows!, and byeeeeeeeeeeee

It took a lot less time than I expected to get to Bude [Due to nice roads. Apart from the wheel-ripping potholes..!], where ensued a not that stressful hike down the canal to eventually find a semi-flooded field with assorted birds in. 

 

Oh, there it is. 

 

Ooooh, it's flying.

Sabine's Plover

Sociable Plover

In standard pose.

Yes, wonderful pictures, but getting anything at all was a major victory.

 

 

Once it had stopped raining- And then stopped hailing- 

Ahem. 

Once the Sun came out, it was quite nice. Very pretty bird. Don't know why the Lapwings were so mean to it, though...

Views through a scope - which doesn't rely on a sadistic autofocus and doesn't need to be held up at arm's length to work - were so far better than these that it would be quite funny if it wasn't so frustrating.. [[Thus my utter vexation when, after one takeoff, the bird decided to land right next to us, so to speak [maybe 70m, tops], in clear reed-free view. It was there for about three seconds before a Lapwing attacked it and drove it away... Arg.]]

This is about binocular view.

Spot the Sociable.

:D

 

Speaking of those flying kazoos...  I counted 281 Lapwings in one flock photo [I'm considering posting it and holding a proper 'Spot the Sociable' quiz...] and they were quite a sight as they wheeled overhead. 

Despite the icy wind, frequent hard rain and hail attacks, and my scope getting caught by the wind and somersaulting over a barbed wire fence - I had both hands on the camera at the time, of course.... - it was actually quite enjoyable.

The revenge helped, of course, as did sharing a cracking bird with friends old and new, not to mention assorted interested passers-by :)

 

Just to add to the festive spirit, it sleeted on the way home.

 

 

 What. A. Day.

:D

Be Seeing You...