In which life gets in the way of birding, in that frustrating habit it has.
Despite sunshine and very early arrivals of Wheatears elsewhere, I failed to find one on Patch or at all. I also had repeatedly failed to see even a single Black Redstart this year.
Not good.
So I went off Patch to do some wandering about the lanes and fields of Devon. Despite it being notionally still 'cold' - and to be fair the wind did its best with what it had - the blazing sunshine got things up to a balmy 12°.! The Skylarks were singing, there were flowers and even blossom on trees..
Oh, wait, it was March.
Anyways, it wasn't entirely Spring yet, as a flock of at least 9 Redwing turned up, snarfing Mistletoe berries in laneside trees. I even got a few pics of them. I did not get a pic of my first Partridge of the year - Red-leg version, alas - which I surprised through a hedge close enough to flush it [this is quite rare, they're usually wise to you and run off].
When I say through a hedge, I must add, I wasn't going through it; partridge on the other side of the hedge - on the edge of a field - and I was quietly walking down a lane!
I also saw - three times - a flock of 7 Stock Dove, who seemed to be very unsure where to go.
All in all it was lovely to be ambling about in the sunshine, and while the wind picked up a little, it didn't get parky.
Cut to another go about the Patch, where I made a more-in-hope attempt at BlackRed and Wheatear at the Nose.
There were hordes of mundanes about [sunny Sunday? Hmm] and the female Kestrel was covering everywhere humans didn't get to...
Bugger.
Offshore, I eventually found a lone GND off Thatcher Rock, and the Ore Stone colony was in full form, but little else doing.
A second go at the South Side and Sandy Beach, on my way back up, though, and finally! Finally! The male Black Redstart appeared right down below me, for less than a minute, but long enough to get a bad pic.
Woo!
I sat myself down on the Wheatear Lookout bit, in hope one would appear - they are diurnal migrants, so can turn up through the day, and the South Side was the only human-free area - but no dice. However, while scanning the back of the beach, the female Black Redstart appeared by a bit of 'art' [people like piling stones up down there; mostly A-level photography students.!]. Again she showed for less than a minute, but again I got a pic.
Double woo.
There were a few insects knocking about in the sunshine - again see
Over There - and even more flowers. A lovely little Eyebright right next to where I was sitting being one.
Elsewhere on Patch, I got nothing spectacular. But you keeps looking.
::Plaintive voice:: Wheatear...??
Ahem.
Be Seeing You...
