Spring Thing. Pt.1, Pesky Warblers

At last the weather had gotten bored with raining all the time and something vaguely like sunshine was appearing about the place.

Also, a Spring passage of summering species had started up.

Naturally, a deranged yearlister starts getting ideas...

The Teacher, having the benefit of one of those school holiday things, had been out the day before and used the Dread Power of The Artefact ::Ominous Chanting:: to Summon a Gropper from the depths of cover to perform in full view for him, while he was sat down having a nice spot of lunch [after seeing assorted Redstarts and Pied Flies and so on].

This seems to happen to pretty much every birder with a camera, phone, or sketch pad       Except me.

The next day, then, and due to an entirely unrelated series of completely accidental and in no way associated occurrences, I happened to find myself sitting down for lunch at pretty much the exact same spot. Funny that.

The sound of reeling Gropper that I'd triangulated to that area may have been a factor, and I like to think a more significant one.

Alas, I did not have an Artefact of Dread Power ::Ominous Chanting::, though I'm doing my best to imbue the Big Scope, it only really works on seabirds so far.  

Thus it was that while I got one brief glimpse of Gropper-in-transit, I did not get a lovely view of a reeling bird, let alone any chance to photograph said. This is over a period of about 50 minutes.

Oh well. One day.

I took the chance to do some skywatching, seeing assorted soaring Buzzards and so on, but then the Gropper decided that was enough for a mid-day reeling session and shut up.

I went a' wandering and found a few things. Some of those things were quite showy, some very avoidy, and some took a good hour and a half of waiting before they'd allow a picture.

Birds...

Pictures!

Not a Gropper

"Yeah, I'm much prettier"

Flight shot

Distant mobile warbler

I did mention other birds, and have proof!

Redpoll on the deck

The closest of at least 

13 Buzzards up 

*

Staphylinus sp.

Obilgatory Panaeolus sp.

Brimstone, Orange Tip, and Holly Blue butterflies were on the wing [mostly Brimstones] but none felt like being photo'd.

It was fun and frustration in near equal measures, but them's the breaks.

And oh, to see Dartford Warbler again

:D

Be Seeing You...

[[*Note strong contrast between barred secondaries and inner primaries. Also, this is as close to an angle as you'll see in a soaring Buzzard's wing, and is largely an optical illusion caused by the carpal joint. They use a shallow straight-winged v. to soar.   No, I'm not letting it go.]]