Walking Around In More Circles

Another week, another city, more wandering about after yearticks.

This time it was Plimoth* and I had business with birds upon a theme of red not green.

Cue the thumbnail pic;

 

Redshank, showing

us how it's done

 

I headed over after work on Friday, hoping and indeed succeeding in catching to falling tide at Laira Bridge, where a certain grebe was duly fishing just upstream near the west bank. However, I then spoiled this great start by legging it down to said Bridge to try to get a decent photo, instead of setting up and hitting it right away. Looking into the light and getting a blob at best was my fear, so it wasn't an unreasonable decision. Also said RNG was actively fishing, and could drift off out of view very easily. So moving closer.

You can see where this is going, right?

 

Well, I certainly didn't see where the Red-neck went, it vanished qite thoroughly! I rather suspect it had gone quite a long way, as there's been one on and off around St.John's Lake, on the 'other side', and I have a One Bird Theory...

A nice GND was just downstream of Laira Bridges**

Helpful light?

Ho ho ho...

Hoping the RNG might come back when the tide turned [it was getting quite low] and having other fish to fry, I turned myself upstream and yomped to Saltram.

Blaxton Meadow

[perhaps a renaming in order?]

Not much to see? Well, the Greenshank nipped off quickly, but a whole lot of Snipe didn't

Not being very Snipe-y

This lot doing it better.

Double Test;

1. How many Snipe?

2. Spot the Jack!!!!

:D

Oh yes.

35+ Common Snipe in view, which isn't bad. One [and possibly a second] Jack Snipe was blimmin' brilliant.

Another year tick was very vocal but not very visible. I headed up to the house, then back via the inland route, and

 

On the Gift Shop

Duck Pond!

One of 28

Redwing

There you are.

Eventually one started up the kid's toy routine down-Sun.   :)

Getting back to Laira, I met a local birder who was making a practice of dipping the RNG, and duly no RNG was seen by us.

Suffering yearlistingitis, I abandoned the wait and headed up to the edge of t'Moor in search of another red-themed bird, but it was getting late and not a sniff could I get of her. 

Bugger.

But I'd got 4 out of 5, and while dipping the easy one was annoying it was also somewhat amusing [well, it is now, looking back] or at least bemusing.

Having to go back for a rubber duckie, though.. Well, that's birding.

[Those with longer memories may recall me going a LOT further for one, once upon a time, so not that unreasonable. Maybe.]

What?

Oh, yeah, sorry.

'That's yearlisting'.

As it was a weekend of it, there will be more and I shall

Be Seeing You...

[[* Don't get me started]]

[[** 

 

Two, see?]]