Weekend started with a wander seeking previously-missed migrants, and I found three of them.
Also a couple of passing Swallows and my first Sedge Warbler of the year.
Yes, I am being obscure for a reason.
Much more fun on Sunday, when I decided to get three days' worth of trips done in one.
As we had three days' worth of weather, I think it was reasonable.
I started off on a hillside on the edge of Dartmoor - which I am not naming - where in sunshine I was led round and round by a handful of Pearl-bordered Fritillaries. I got a few nice pictures, but the sort of lovely underwing photo you see on the feeds of better 'togs eluded me.
First Whitethroat of the year and a Tree Pipit made themselves known, and Speckled Wood and Dark-edged Bee-fly - along with a hoverfly I will ID at some point - also joined the 'let's wind the human up' party.
I didn't stay long as I had a trip to Emsworthy planned and wanted to get parked within a mile of the place if at all possible...
[Sunny Sunday?!? Ho ho ho]
This became complicated close to, as I ran into the back of a charity tractor run. 18 of them.
More power to their driveshafts and so on, but things were slightly delayed.
And yet somehow I was pulling into the main car park quite easily..?!?
[Suspect I'd got the Teacher's spot, having just missed him]
And then the Sun went away and the rain said "Hiya humans!"
But there were Redstarts. LOTS of Redstarts.
And two Cuckoos. Heard but not seen, though.
I set up an ambush and waited.
And waited and waited.
[Two hours enough?]
Bugger.
I went a'looking.
Eventually, a Cuckoo flew past me. Camera said "ha ha"
Cuckoo flew over me. Camera said "ha ha"
I said various Ancient Devonian Swear-words {which I will not translate} and the usual Curses upon the programmer of the autofocus.
The Cuckoo landed in a Hawthorn. In sight.
Back to me.
I used that tried and tested tactic, the Spiral Dance.
[[You go across not towards the bird - moving towards anything will spook it, so don't - and gradually get closer in a great big spiral. Simple.]]
It worked. I was shocked, I can tell you.
Then the Wheatear appeared and I even got a photo.
Time for venue three.
There have been not one but two vagrant herons knocking about Slapton Ley in recent days. Purple and Blue-crowned Night [yes, BLUE-crowned. That thing is royal blue, not black.]. Ok, both rather hard to see species, but hey, what's a few hours standing about in the cold wind between mad birders, right?
Though I did not spend all the time until dusk standing in the wind on Slapton Bridge. I had a seawatch [What?? SW wind blowing. Worth a shot] and saw a handful of Gannets and Guillemots offshore, with three Red-throated Divers on the sea. [I even hit one. Just.]
The Purple Heron, it turns out, did a bunk on Friday [photo from Saturday clearly a Grey flying away...], but the Night Heron was showing, though only after dark.
[[Who's playing that guitar?]]
Well, dusk anyway.
A few other herons flew over, including ten Cattle Egret and a Great White Egret. [Older birders mused on how times and bird-rareness change]
Mr Two Hoopoes [yep, that's your name now] picked up a metre-long Pike, and my camera did too, shocking all involved. [[See
🐛 ;This is BlueSky, as the Scum-suckin' evil ones gaggle won't put a butterfly emoji on here for some strange reason..??😏 ]]
Eight o'clock came and went, and the handful of deranged mad crazy er, dedicated birders thinned a touch, but eventually, at 2020, it was suddenly there.
Well, sort of. As I had suspected, it was on the overhung Willows on the Graveyard Pool and very hard to see.
As anyone who's looked at my pictures can attest.
[[Yes, it IS in all of them]]
After sitting as a cute little ball of feathers for a bit, it flew to the channel south of the bridge and showed quite wonderfully.
Other people got better photos, go look for them if you want to actually see some of it.
It was a very happy - even though I had to get up at aaaaaarrrrggggh o'clock the next morning - Backward Birder who went his way home singing a slightly edited Sunday Night Heron. [Yes, this is where the BeeGees come in, probably calling their solicitors right now...]
I advise you to not think too hard about what the lyrics might be, if you at all value your sanity...
Mistle Thrushes still hanging around at work [closed site, sorry], and my first moths for the year are waiting to be unleashed upon the unwary.. Heh heh
What will the proper-length* weekend bring?
Beeeeeeeee-eeeeeater?
{I can dream}
Be Seeing You...
[[*You know I'm right]]