Interlude; Birds! Gasp!

While wandering about the Nose annoying the poor insects, I did happen to see the odd bird.

Migrant-calling Chiffchaffs en route along IMD and juvie Blackcaps at the Nose, for examples.

I also gave the gulls loafing on the Lead Stone a good look - and zapped the lot - as matter of routine. You have to keep looking, after all.

Behold the first picture I took on Sunday, slightly cropped;

Gulls, more Gulls, Shag, even more Gulls..... oh what's that?

See what I missed?

Didn't miss it - or as it turned out, them - the second time, when from the bottom of the Blasted Heath [so about 2/3 down the Nose] and I spotted and fired off a salvo at a 'small wader'. Just as gulls flushed what was actually a much bigger bird [what I saw moving was a head] around a bit, showing off a lot of flashy white bits.. and a friend!

The photos are not ideal, and perhaps you need the eye of faith; into light, plus glare, plus moving subject, at long range and high zoom...

Ok, enough of the burbling;

Head turned a little to right..

I see a long straightish [upturned?] bill, pale maybe even greenish or horn, with a darker far end.

Just landed

You can see how very white it is underneath [the other one's already closed wings and effectively vanished] and up the back.

Proof [ha] of two birds

Pre-flushing, mid way between sticking-up bird and nearest gull. [Cynics; That 'rock' isn't there in the other pics. :P ]

Greenshank are not frequent birds at the Nose, as they usually [ok always in the past] just fly by. I've had them pass on a seawatch now and again in past years, but sightings [or more often hearings] are definitely less than annual. Why are these ones sat on the Lead Stone when the Exe [or even the Teign] is just up there? Well, it was pretty much high tide at the time. Slim, but all I can come up with.

I wouldn't normally subject you to such blurry horrors*, but to get something locally scarce on record [ok, on blur] is a rare treat for me.

 

We're not going to mention the three [three....] Red Kites which came over the Patch the same day yet managed to elude my sight. Not at all. 

 

[Bugger]

Anyways, that's enough of that.

Be Seeing You...

[[* Ok, ok; I don't any more. ]]