Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
We're in for several days of wintry weather, temperatures already on the way down today and snow forecast even at our altitude at the weekend.
A 'one that got away' yesterday, as through the open window I heard what sounded like a Lesser Whitethroat's rattle coming from the trees bordering our field. I walked up the slope and seemed to be approaching the suspect when it fell silent and I saw nothing fly off (leaves are out now so passerine hunting is getting harder!). It didn't sound quite right though so it could have been something else (Great Tit always a possible culprit of course!), plus it's still early for the species up here (no reports anywhere in Haute-Savoie yet, even at lower altitudes), it would've been only my 3rd for the garden though, grrrr.
Still, this morning I finally got my reward for my daily dung heap scanning, not the occasional manure visiting Grey Wagtail (for which I will have to wait till winter I suspect) but one of my Garden List regular near misses, seen almost every year on my walks to the village or thereabouts, but hitherto just the one year when I've managed to see the species from home:
67 Whinchat
two feeding and perching on fence posts around the heap. I fancied a long distance photo attempt but the 'phone rang just as I fired up the camera and they were gone two minutes later (I didn't have the courage to hang up immediately as it was SWMBO, I know on which side my bread is buttered
).
Photos: Red Kite from last week for Frank (who likes those 'against the mountain' shots), Wood or Yellow-necked Mouse for Farnboro' John or other mammal experts to peruse and a typically grumpy looking Blackcap in this morning's deluge.
A 'one that got away' yesterday, as through the open window I heard what sounded like a Lesser Whitethroat's rattle coming from the trees bordering our field. I walked up the slope and seemed to be approaching the suspect when it fell silent and I saw nothing fly off (leaves are out now so passerine hunting is getting harder!). It didn't sound quite right though so it could have been something else (Great Tit always a possible culprit of course!), plus it's still early for the species up here (no reports anywhere in Haute-Savoie yet, even at lower altitudes), it would've been only my 3rd for the garden though, grrrr.
Still, this morning I finally got my reward for my daily dung heap scanning, not the occasional manure visiting Grey Wagtail (for which I will have to wait till winter I suspect) but one of my Garden List regular near misses, seen almost every year on my walks to the village or thereabouts, but hitherto just the one year when I've managed to see the species from home:
67 Whinchat
two feeding and perching on fence posts around the heap. I fancied a long distance photo attempt but the 'phone rang just as I fired up the camera and they were gone two minutes later (I didn't have the courage to hang up immediately as it was SWMBO, I know on which side my bread is buttered
).Photos: Red Kite from last week for Frank (who likes those 'against the mountain' shots), Wood or Yellow-necked Mouse for Farnboro' John or other mammal experts to peruse and a typically grumpy looking Blackcap in this morning's deluge.
