The safari had no Patch 1 visit this morning due to someone being as sick as…well a dog!
But a Wren was going full blast in the garden at Base Camp at 04.45.
Picture is a from a few hours before he was as sick as a dog...
The morning Patch 2 visit was unproductive. The wind was still strong from the west and there was surf, spray and white horses right out to the horizon. Looked good for a bit of sea bird movement with birds being blown inshore, possibly some of the Little Gulls that have been hanging around the bay, a few Gannets or even a, not on the list yet, Fulmar…so what did we get? Nothing! Save for half a dozen Lesser Black Backed Gulls moving purposefully north about a mile or so out…yes it was that good!
Had a short safari down to the marshes at lunchtime. Lost a bit of time because the speed of the wind flat hat brigade seem to know when the safari is on the road with a limited time window…there is an extremely strong case for bringing back mustard gas!!!!!!!! In sustainable quantities of course.
Unfortunately tide and time wait for no man but neither do they hurry, high tide was a good half hour after we had to leave and our quarry had only just started to be washed on to higher ground. Tomorrow is probably going to be the last chance we have of getting the bins on to the Water Pipits. A couple of Stock Doves were flyng around after a Typhoon did a vertical take-off to x,000 feet with full 360 spins – what a din – what an impressive piece of flying kit!
A few Reed Buntings were flitting about the edge of the marsh and we had a small number of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks. As the tide rose we were able to get a count of the Little Egrets as they were pushed out of the creeks – 13 in all. A good number of Shelducks were also seen. The only raptor noted was a Kestrel, we were hoping to see Merlin and Short Eared Owl at least, a Peregrine (or hybrid type thingy?) was flying around but that was from the adjacent aerodrome and was being deliberately flown by a falconer to dissuade any birds from roosting near the runways while the tide covered the marsh.
On the way back we heard from the Rangers that an Osprey had recently flown over the nature reserve; another had been reported from about 15 miles away earlier in the morning so it seems they are on the move now, we’ll be looking up more often now. As JD says so eloquently eyes to the skies everyone!
Where to next? With the wind supposed to be turning southerly/south easterly (whey-hey) and dropping overnight a safari along 'Chat Alley' could well be tomorrow morning’s early jaunt…one of those Black Redstarts please. But we could get a bit wet trying…heavy rain is on the cards yet again.
In the meantime let us know what’s been flooded off by the high tide in your outback.
But a Wren was going full blast in the garden at Base Camp at 04.45.
Picture is a from a few hours before he was as sick as a dog...The morning Patch 2 visit was unproductive. The wind was still strong from the west and there was surf, spray and white horses right out to the horizon. Looked good for a bit of sea bird movement with birds being blown inshore, possibly some of the Little Gulls that have been hanging around the bay, a few Gannets or even a, not on the list yet, Fulmar…so what did we get? Nothing! Save for half a dozen Lesser Black Backed Gulls moving purposefully north about a mile or so out…yes it was that good!
Had a short safari down to the marshes at lunchtime. Lost a bit of time because the speed of the wind flat hat brigade seem to know when the safari is on the road with a limited time window…there is an extremely strong case for bringing back mustard gas!!!!!!!! In sustainable quantities of course.
Unfortunately tide and time wait for no man but neither do they hurry, high tide was a good half hour after we had to leave and our quarry had only just started to be washed on to higher ground. Tomorrow is probably going to be the last chance we have of getting the bins on to the Water Pipits. A couple of Stock Doves were flyng around after a Typhoon did a vertical take-off to x,000 feet with full 360 spins – what a din – what an impressive piece of flying kit!
A few Reed Buntings were flitting about the edge of the marsh and we had a small number of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks. As the tide rose we were able to get a count of the Little Egrets as they were pushed out of the creeks – 13 in all. A good number of Shelducks were also seen. The only raptor noted was a Kestrel, we were hoping to see Merlin and Short Eared Owl at least, a Peregrine (or hybrid type thingy?) was flying around but that was from the adjacent aerodrome and was being deliberately flown by a falconer to dissuade any birds from roosting near the runways while the tide covered the marsh.
On the way back we heard from the Rangers that an Osprey had recently flown over the nature reserve; another had been reported from about 15 miles away earlier in the morning so it seems they are on the move now, we’ll be looking up more often now. As JD says so eloquently eyes to the skies everyone!
Where to next? With the wind supposed to be turning southerly/south easterly (whey-hey) and dropping overnight a safari along 'Chat Alley' could well be tomorrow morning’s early jaunt…one of those Black Redstarts please. But we could get a bit wet trying…heavy rain is on the cards yet again.
In the meantime let us know what’s been flooded off by the high tide in your outback.
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