Richard B joined me on a cool cloudy breezy morning. We probably made a tactical error by skipping the chat field until we reached its far side. Scanning back we could see chats, and after some half-hearted back-tracking we totalled at least five distant Stonechats. Later in the day we met some walkers who had seen a Whinchat and maybe six Stonechats.
We got to the flash field where we counted 48 Teal, a Shoveler, 27 Lapwings, and about 25 Mallard. Richard only joins me occasionally so I'm always hoping to find him something memorable. A Sparrowhawk didn't really cut the mustard, but once we were closer to the nearest flash a rush of wings and generally panic brought the moment we needed. The whoosh was created by about four turbo-charged Teal and the panic was caused by the juvenile Peregrine hard on their tail. It then treated us to several passes while Richard tried to get a decent view, and I tried to get any kind of shot.
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| Peregrine |
My one success was at least in focus, and the bird was certainly shifting. Later in the morning I saw it or another very distantly as it flew to the pylons.
By late morning the air was becoming warm enough for butterflies to fly. We saw a few Green-veined Whites, a Speckled Wood, a Small Heath, a Red Admiral, a Painted Lady, and a Comma.
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| Comma |
Other birds seen included a constant trickle of Meadow Pipits, a Swallow, and a House Martin heading south. One or two Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs called from the hedgerows, and we also heard two Kingfishers without setting eyes on either of them.
Richard is a keen forager, and we soon got our tubs out and filled them with blackberries.
So nothing scarce, but its nice to be blogging again.
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