Waders In The Rain. Pt.2, The White Hole

Not the title I intended, expected etc.

But the Brain lies through his shiny teeth over and again, so I shouldn't have really expected 'sunshine' to be anything but 'sideways rain' and packed even more weight accordingly...

Oh well, I didn't get that soggy, and I'm a seawatcher, I enjoy getting rained at.

[No really.]

Anyways, it wasn't all rain, it did start rather sunny and I got good and toasty whilst chasing the dragons.

Dragons??

Common Darter

Common Blue Damselfly

Far more evaded camera, including Black Darter, Emperors, Common and Migrant Hawker, and what I am pretty sure was a Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly.

But waders, you ask?

Oh yes.

And that title,

A big white hole.

Note, dear mine securi-goons, how I am outside the fence, on account of Being Good.

I say that as they have a ridiculous level of security for an inactive not very deep open-cast mine - whose perimeter may be allegedly only breached by impatient birders and only at a distance from anything dangerous, I'm sure - and they seemed to have lots of fun trying to keep an eye on me [I did not tease; if they couldn't keep track of a guy with a brightly-coloured shirt*, that's on them... ;) ]

Ahem.

After feckin' hours...

A [maybe 2] Little Stint, a [maybe 2] Sanderling, 3 to 5 Dunlin, 2 to 4 Ringed Plover, and 5 Redshank appeared and vanished, mostly in flight when in view. 2 Green Sand flew off high E maybe ten minutes after I arrived, seemingly vexed by a Raven, and I did swan off about Smallhangar for more than an hour, but it took more than 3 hours for the Little Stint to first fly about, then scuttle along the shore in front of me.

I didn't get a shot.

I did get the Little Grebe, sort of;

Spot the 1cy Little Grebe!

And there were lots of gulls, assorted, [including at least 25 LBB, some of which looked interestingly dark]

 

Yuck

 

"No, I didn't eat the grebe.."

5 Swallow passed by NW [for some reason] while I was waiting.

Closer things seen when swanning about my old dragon-hunting grounds.

Well, not just closer but, ah you'll see;

Non-farmed Fallow Deer!

Small Heath

Wheatear!

Another!

And a third on the way down Crownhill Down, too! :)

Atlas

[the one that flies]

Merlin

[the noisy one]

Buzzard!

Less good, the consequences of wheels on t'Moor;

Erosion in action.

I had a look at Portworthy Dam, and facing right into the rain I was rewarded by views of Mallards, Canada Geese, Teal [Eurasian], Moorhens, and Coots...............

It was a very overdue look at a site oft-spoken of, and good to know that not all of Smallhangar has been destroyed, though it is overgrown, dried-out [that might be this year's weather] and in places VERY eroded. [Approach with a lot of caution]. I even found my old lunch spot, where many years ago I would perch and watch the SBTDs with joy in my little heart. It's all overgrown and not a chance of them at that spot now, but, well, like I said up at the top, elsewhere on the site I got a passing look at what looked very very like one, so....????

Be Seeing You...

[[* Don't arsk. ]]