Oh Not Again...

Well, dear reader[s], I have again managed to break myself and so my birding is curtailed until I heal. Drat and other comments.

I am not incapacitated, but won't be toting anything heavier than bins for a while [and that includes a rucksack, keeping me off t'Moor, too.. ::sniff::]. 

I've not been doing nothing, having been ambling slowly about the Patch - indeed a bit too much today as I have aggravated it {a BlackRed was involved.. Ahem} - and so I have something to report.

My first actual Collared Dove from Here this week was perhaps overdue, but they're never common on Patch and this side of The Hill? Exactly. On the 25th, my SkyGarden was filled with tits as no less than 15 arrived at once! And 10 of them were Blue [I've had lots of LTTs in on cold winters before].

The benefit of my misadventure today was a f-type Black Redstart - briefly - on the back of Sandy Cove at the Nose [with Mike P]. Also on site; 5 of today's 15+ Blackcap, and 2 GCG offshore [well, inshore, really]. The 50+ Common Scoter were off Meadfoot, in the lee of Thatcher Rock, with 3 Rockits together on the Sea Road. No divers seen and no sign of the Velvets in the still-impressive swell and pesky glare [but note; no scope!]

There were at least 7 GNDs in the Outer Harbour - seen together by the cill! - with 2 more on the sea off Livermead, accompanied by 3+ GCG and a throated diver sp. which eluded speciation. A Kingfisher was fishing the calm water under the overhung section of the oil pier [has the yacht crane on it], but there were only Herring Gulls sat on the pontoon. Again. 

Inland, Blackcaps came in bursts, most notably just up from the Museum [I was looking for another BlackRed which has been seen around there], as did tit bands, but I got nothing rare or even scarce, with Patch Scarcity coming in the form of 2 Stock Dove flying over trying to pretend they were Feral Pigs and not worth looking at!

I have no idea when I'll be back to form again, I'm just hoping it'll be sooner than later...

[What can you do?] 

Be Seeing You...

More Holding Points

I still haven't even started an update post - detailing everything I've been not doing and so on - which won't do, but at least right now it's That Time Of The Year, so I have a vaguely-convincing excuse.

Friday I pinched a morning to go after the 1w Scaup that's been reported at Exminster for a little while now.

The extensive water-fall-from-sky induced flooding required some creative access. Well, distant access, as I had to park at Countess Wear and walk down the canal; about 5km lugging the scope, so not that bad.

What was that bad was the utter absence of Scaup of any kind.

Feck.

What were I'm pretty sure four Marsh Harriers proved some distraction, which with a Buzzard, a Sprawk, and maybe two Kestrels gave the poor waders and smaller wildfowl plenty of nervous exercise...

Said waders and wildfowl were present in reasonable if not epic numbers, with several hundred Lapwing easiest to estimate as they were repeatedly put up. In contrast, I only got on 4 Pintail and 6 Shoveler.

Still, the Sun shone, a sinensis Cormorant posed for an almost-sharp photo on the Canal, and it was good to be out and about.

As you may have guessed, this was going to be something a bit longer, but stuff happens, [to censor the Yautja] so what can you do?

News from the Patch; now 3 f Velvet Scoter by the Oyster Beds off Thatcher Point, numbers of divers [mostly GND of course] offshore and indeed inshore, and Treeeeecreeeeper up in The Copse again. Ah, 'tis almost like the Good Old days. 

Be Seeing You... 

To Continue

Following on, Friday saw me head over to the Exe estuary in search of none other than a Lesser Crested Tern. This is a rare vagrant, famously one once at Dawlish Warren a mere 40 years ago, and more usually in the vicinity of Africa..

It was a wee bit nippy on the platform at Cockwood Crossing, and the birders present cheerfully told me 'It's over there at the Warren'. Only I couldn't see it. And they couldn't, either, as it had taken the chance to vanish...

Yeah.

So an hour and change pass, with me freezing various bits off - out from a Night shift, btw - and getting ever more vexed at Life, the Universe, and Everything.

People massed [where none were supposed to be?] at the Warren were looking at something, but assorted trawlers were moored in the way. I resolved to move, and had the scope in the bag, when the LCT - which clearly has quite a sense of humour - reterned with what looked like a Sandeel.

It then flew around a bit before plonking down again. This time in view. Result.

Short while later it took off again and flew about some more, clearly having some fun trying to fish in the fresh breeze [apparently not quite a named storm] and to our joy getting closer and closer and closer.

Indeed it came right past us [well, in scope terms, anyways] giving me the chance for some actual non-blob photos [ see OverHere ] before again settling [after catching another fish] on a closer bit of the estuary.

[There were other birds around, waders and waterfowl and so on, but you're not bothered by them, are you?]

Anyways, I was a happy bunny.

There's not much more to tell of the weekend, due to Important Things, though I did find a Treecreeper with a tit band up on The Hill [remember there?] that afternoon in slightly better conditions [sheltered from the wind, always helps], which was nice, though as I was being towed by taking Canis horribilis salivatus out for a walk at the time, no chance of a pic [I doubt I'd have succeeded, too much cover and against the light, but hey].

Be Seeing You...

Having An Actual Job

Is a good thing - could be a lot worse and all that - but sometimes, well...

 

There's that tern, you see. Well, on river, not sea, but not see-n by me.

 

[[You know it's bad when he starts demi-rhyming]] 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

😔 

Be Seeing You

 

[Be Seeing It?]