Backward Birding: Persistence. Pt.3, I'm Sure I Was Making Sense At The Time

22 May, 2024

Persistence. Pt.3, I'm Sure I Was Making Sense At The Time

With my continuing failure of blogging, and time just keeping on going and going, things are getting out of hand.

[And I can't even think of funny thngs to post Over There, either, and have resorted to cattle...]

Ahem.

The short story is that I've been trying and sometimes succeeding in finding yearticks, and at the moment of typing am on 196. Not awful, but I'd hoped to be the other side of 200 by now.

The reasons for this include unhelpful weather, even less helpful birds, and just.. Yeah stuff.

But that's birding in general and yearlisting in particular. To paraphrase and make Mr Gump's Mom more accurate, yearlisting is like a box of chocolates without a contents slip; you find out when you try.

Ahem.

I've also taken the odd break to see other things [while still looking for birds I've missed, 'cos multitasking] as time is getting on and butterflies are a thing again.

I like butterflies, even though they can be quite vexing to photo well. [Ah, dear fungi. {Even flowers tend to blow about in sudden breezes.. 😖}]

I suppose some clickbait needs putting up before I go any further, and so;

Green Hairstreak

This little er, insect [I think the editing out of the bleeps worked, there] gave me quite the runaround, so it beats out all the Pearl-bordered Fritillaries just for "Ha!" value.

Anways, I had a plan, knew what I wanted to say, but well, there's that word there.. 'had'

So, we face the inevitable need to post something and get a few pics out to give you at least a sense of what I've been up to.

[Probably for the best, what with a few things]

Anyways again, a clipshow?

But first, time for some stirring.

That's not a Little Stint...

[[Anyone who said "No, that's a Shelduck?" Give thyself a clip about the ear for being a smartarse 😝]]

Right of the Shelduck and left of the clump of spiky grass on the right edge, that brown thing behind another lower bit of dry grassy stuff? Yes, that was said to be a Little Stint.

I saw it and went "Huh..."

As I said to others at the time, it looked and acted far more like a Temminck's Stint. It was very naughty, hiding behind those tussocky spiky bits far too much [very TS]. Others later saw it come out and evidently decided I was right.

Now, the bird photo'd the day before - which looked far far brighter and Little Stint-y-er - could have been that bird? Could it? I'm leaning towards the dreaded Two Bird theory, as there seems quite a big difference; hard to get wrong in effectively similar sunshine [though the 'seeing what you expect to see' phenomenon can catch anybody, as I know all too well..]. But never mind, it was a TS, and that's the worst pic of one you'll ever see!

Far better behaved that day;

Spooooon!

With fish!

Very close and very confiding, it flew in and started up feeding while I was failing to find Yellow Wagtail. I was quite happy.

Large Red Damsel

and Fly :)

I've also been trying and failing to see any tern that isn't a Sarnie [which has got a bit silly, but there we go], and even got some seawatching in [le gasp], with the highlight being an unexpected given less than ideal weather Stormie. Swings and roundabouts [though I'd happily trade it for a Rosey Tern 😉]

Right, that clipshow thing;