Forster's Tern For Imaginary Twitchers

Cartoon beats band by a narrow margin.

As you may have gathered, I found some energy from somewhere and finally got myself to Arne in search of a Certain Yankee Tern.

Did I see it? Hmmm.....

Looks better as a thumbnail

 

Effective digiscoping with my camera isn't easy, but that didn't stop me trying.

Out for a walk

with a Sarnie

Oh dear.

Who says there's no

post on Sunday?

I really ought to apologise...

Who needs a scope?

Hard to get this sort

of shot through one

 

 

Dangerously arty there, best get back to what it says on the tin.

That nape..

Looked markedly different with angle and pose of the bird. Pretty much white in flight, grey shawl [like Little Gull] or a dark crescent when stood put. Grey saddle was slightly blueish; very like BHG, rather than grey grey of Sarnie. Notable was the call, which was markedly different to any other tern call you're likely to hear hereabouts [vaguely reminded me of Whitethroat].

Not the only things of interest, and while zoomby Kingfishers evaded the camera, not everything was so lucky;

Bad pic of two

immature Spoonbills

Worse one of

an Osprey

And that was the best-showing of three.

[No eagles, though.....]

Slightly better-behaved,

Sika Deer

Common Darter

Dark queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Platycheirus granditarsus

Parasol

Earthball

Lunchtime view, looking

for eagles. Hmm, what's that over

there, then?

Don't go near the

Corfe Castle

Very atmospheric with the mistyness and so on.

Arne is a lovely place, with an actual proper designed by someone who knows what a hide is for double-decker hide, though also a modern designed by an architect who knows only fashion flush*, too.

You know what hides look like, here's a bit of the latter [look away, those of a sensitive disposition]

Too close, too open, 

and just, well, too....

Now, in the spirit of fairness and giving-a-chance, put that on the coast and it'd be a half-decent thing for seawatching. [Though I suspect it'd get pointed into the prevailing wind...]

Not at all all bad, though,

There are many nice places to sit, here's one of them.

I was going to make a political joke,

but that would be insulting a

very nice pig.

They are free-roaming about the place, utterly unbothered by humans or their pogs.

I rather approve.

Things got even better on the trip home, as while I didn't get a roadside Corn Bunting, I did get a very close Marsh Harrier near Wareham, and inside Devon's Glorious borders, an actual Little Owl!!!!

Not seen one from the car for an age and a half, and it's brilliant to know they're not quite as scarce as I'd feared.

[No, I'm not saying where. What goes around comes around ;P ]

While an English eagle would have been joyful icing, it was still a real result of a day, and just what I needed.

[I hope]

We shall, of course,

Be Seeing You...

[[* As in, the opposite of a hide; you go in and everything flushes....]]