Simon Wakely
Well-known member
Steve, we are very dissapointed you didnt hear it , We parked in the car park hoping, you would of heard it, up in the lane behind us. Saw your car parked up.
Simon Wakely said:Terry, Sue and i Wish we introduced ourselfs to you.Your Owl hunt turned up a Tuftie, Great stuff rare on our patch.
/QUOTE]
Simon & Sue,
Never mind at least we know what each other looks like! Will know next time I'm over on your patch. Happy you're happy with the Tuftie!
Terry
Yeah I noticed that one Kev, finished work at 6, came home and checked birdguides, read this, dinner went down in three mouth fulls, and I was off!!!! It had probably gone over by this time though, unless it went to gound before it got to us, it was quite hazy along the coast, so maybe tomorrow will be the day??Kev Rylands said:White Stork west over Abbotsbury this evening, so next stop your patch!
Steve Waite said:Just had an hour and half out this morning - am working this afternoon but will make the best use of my lunch hour!
On the river, 8 Dunlin and 2 Barwits. Nothing at Lower Bruckland, but a nice highlight at Seaton Marshes - a stunning male Whinchat with c7 Wheatears (on path to hide). Did you see it, Bob? I went back to the car to get my scope and camera, but when I returned it was being a little blighter and only showed with half its boby hidden behind a fence post....hence the first photo.... the second utterly crap photo is just to prove it did have a huge white stripe above its eye!!!! Just as my Dad arrived it vanished!! Again 2 singing male Cetti's - confirming the confirmation of yesterdays five!!!
Forgot to mention yesterday, lots of Large Red Damselfly tenerals on Seaton Marshes mid morning.
Gavin Haig said:The lovely, but reluctant, Whinchat and its camera avoidance technique reminded me of the other day when I was staking out the odd-looking Water Rail at the Borrow Pit. It just would not behave. Attached is one of my best efforts.......
I didn't get any birding in at all today, so here is a belated account of yesterday's momentary elation, followed by a monumental deflation. |=(|
Started out well - a 6:00am visit to Lower Bruckland Ponds revealed what I hoped was the patch's first Sedge Warbler (at 06:07 precisely, I noted, in case of subsequent wrangling over the five desperately-needed Bonanza Points). Decided to go and look at the sea next, so headed down the riverside road from Axmouth. Towards the southern end of the road I spied 2 birds ambling across the tarmac, from right to left, and thought they looked suspiciously like partridges. I stopped some distance away and checked them out through the windscreen. Despite the total lack of garishness around the head it still took several moments before the penny dropped - they were GREY Partridges!! They completed their journey and proceeded to climb the steep embankment on the E side of the road. I jumped out and followed them, whereupon they flew over a clump of bushes into the field beyond. Steve was up and about, so came and joined me in scouring the field - to no avail. Grey Partridges are a bit like unicorns - their pictures are in books but they're only ever seen by people who live in a land far, far away. So obviously I though I was lined up for MASSIVE points. Imagine my horror when Steve told me they were worth nothing. Nil. Zip. I fear this game is seriously rigged........
Lots of other lovely migrants later in the day could not dispel the gloom.
That evening I also discovered that certain birding 'venues' where I have to climb locked gates like a naughty, er, 'pioneering' birder, Steve has a KEY to! I have had to come to the reluctant conclusion that there are at least 2 classes of Backwater Birders:
1. The Haves - with keys, and all sorts of other passports to BIG points (extra eyes, and so on)
2. The Have-nots - without keys; just the TWO eyes (elderly ones at that); have to graft and toil for every point....
EDIT - PS. Nice pics, Roger!
Uh-oh! They're on to me!Brian Egan said:Hi Gavin
Your photo you posted looks to me like a Little Crake not a Water Rail.
Cheers
Brian
Gavin Haig said:Uh-oh! They're on to me!
Sent you a PM Brian.
I really must behave..............
Thanks Steven, but it's too late. I'm already in serious trouble with the Devon Listing Massive.....Steven Astley said:Oops didn't know it was a wind up thought I would save you from being branded a suppressor.......