Official: Spring Arrives

After much and gratuitous delay, it is finally Spring.

This took - despite only looking on long term records to be a day later than last year - a good week longer than it needed to, almost. This being primarily due to recalcitrant weather and even more recalcitrant birds. Hordes of mundanes haven't helped either, it must be added.

But now here we are, as with the Sun setting today*, I finally got eyes and even pixels on a cute li'l male Wheatear at the Nose. Here he is, the bleep...

Wheatear!

 

Lurking about the South Side, despite no sign on my first two sweeps. With him was the female Blackred, who had been in the Quarry - until flushed out by mountaineering toddlers [and parents.. yes, really] - showing, well, like this;

Red Blackstart

[wait a minute..]

Cute but distant and very mobile.

Yesterday, she was a bit better;

Awwwww

So cute.

"At least get my good side"

Ditto.

:)

I have decided to stop here - enormous digression down there aside [[you don't need to read it]] - and post more later on. There will be pictures of birds in slightly better focus and light, some possibly even moderately interesting. Also non-birding stuff, such as the pretty-to-look-at light AA vessel currently anchored off Daddyhole...

Ahem.

Right, where was I?

Oh yeah;

Be Seeing You...

[[* My head, with usual exquisite timing, attacked. You know that queasy feeling in your middle you get when you're unwell? Imagine that in your head, plus pain slapped over the top... Then tension from said pain sets your neck off, and the muscles on the sides of your head, for bonus points. Did I mention it laughs at painkillers.?  Happy days.** ]]

[[** Self-pity aside, I was shocked and delighted that the pain got bored and wandered off mid-afternoon. Still felt sick in the head, but that could be ignored with determined purpose. Also plenty of fluids and the outside hope of a Teatray.*** ]]

[[*** Released {NOT escaped, FFS} imm. White-tailed Eagle in near vicinity today.**** I confidently predicted it would not come near and was right. Alas. ]]

[[**** If you need the nickname explaining, you're probably beyond help... ]]