Sunday July 26

I awoke to find lead grey skies, but no rain. An opportunity to get to the patch before the rain set in perhaps.

So, unusually, I parked on the roadside at the north-west corner of Bannams Wood and walked down to the pool. The rain started shortly after I left the car, but was initially very light. A quick look at pool and flash revealed a similar scene to yesterday, four Green Sandpipers, a juvenile Shelduck, and 56 Canada Geese.

Green Sandpiper

On the walk back the rain intensified and was at its peak when I spotted an interesting long green bush cricket on a stem. My attempts to photograph were a complete failure, which is a shame because it might have been something quite good, like a conehead sp.

Back in the car I drove to the bend at High Field Farm and started to reverse into their drive to turn around. Dave rang from Marsh Lane Gravel P it, where it was not raining, so I started to reassure him it was pouring here, and he hadn't missed anything. Kingfisher! I yelled down the phone as quite amazingly one flew along the hedge, passed the car, and behind me into the High Fields Farm garden.  I could hear a great deal of hilarity on the other end of the phone as Dave relayed the find to the other occupants of the hide he was sitting in.

After I hung up I sneaked guiltily into the High Fields Farm property, wondering whether they had a garden pond. But I could find nothing. However, since getting home I have checked the map and there is a tiny dot of blue at the far edge of the field beyond the farm, so I guess that it where it was heading.