The safari headed up the hill this morning to Patch 1 after yesterday’s nonconformity. We might have to do the downhill thing again soon to have a look for more Bee Orchids. They are late this year, probably because of the cold winter and subsequent barely average temperatures combined with the fact that it has been double dry this late winter/early spring…hosepipe ban for us soon?
So was it worth climbing the north face of the Eiger? If you count hearing just one phrase from our Blackcap, two Robins at opposite ends of the park collecting beakfulls of food and one of the several male Blackbirds doing the same then yes it was. Top sighting of the morning was a solitary Swallow buzzing around the tree tops and over the ponds no breeders particularly close to this site, so one making its way back down south?
Patch 2 gave us the beginnings of a low tide Gannet spectacular. On arriving at the sea wall after the long march we saw a couple in the distance doing the diving thing. Always good to see. As the watch continued we had an increase to a handful then to about a dozen. Difficult to count them accurately as they were wheeling round in and out of the scopes field of view over a large area of sea. By this time they had come closer, into the middle distance. Good to know there could be a large shoal of fish out there. The fish were near the surface as most of the dives were made at an extremely shallow angle. Even at that range we could see the white splash with our naked eye.
Nothing else made the notebook – no terns this morning.
Lunchtime provided a few Gannets still fishing. This time deeper in to estuary on the high tide. A big bull Grey Seal was suitably camera shy. Bottling fairly close in but diving for extended periods and returning to the surface unpredictably. Doh…and one of our colleagues is desperate to see a photo…doesn’t believe we seem, all figleaves of our menageration!
Where to next? More of the same.
In the meantime what have you been imagining in your outback. Anything like this passing by? Yep we missed it!!!
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1 comment:
No Bee Orchids out here yet in South Yorks, Dave. The long winter has got a lot to answer for.
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