The Safari was out too early this morning hitting Chat Alley before 06.00...yikes that's early - blame Frank!!! It was a bit too clear at that time as we drove over the hill and we weren't confident of getting much. In the end we only had a few hearings of 'alba' Wagtails and the only two we saw were Pieds.
We didn't do the full walk but turned at Pipit Slab where there weren't any. But two male Wheatears were horrendously bright, especially under the chin and top of the breast, and very likely to have been of the 'Greenland" subspecies. Wonder how the ringers got on a couples of miles further up the coast.
After all that excitement we headed off to man our stall at the Stanley Park Animal Fun Day where we extolled the virtues(?) of watching wildlife and recording what you see, or at least telling someone like BEAT Naturewatch who can pass on the record to the relevant organisations.
Whilst cahtting to the punters we kept an eye on the sky and how blue was it!!!! We're burnt again....two weekends running...must be summer. Three sightings of Buzzards involving at least two birds, a female Sparrowhawk and a pair of Chaffinches nesting in a nearby bush. Behind us a Dunnock and Willow Warbler were singing.
After all that we hit the nature reserve for an hour, which turned into two, before tea. No Grasshopper Warbler on the way out. We walked around the outside path and just before we entered the reserve at the far end we heard the Lesser Whitetroat (149). A stroll along the embankment searching the fields didn't give us a Whinchat - will we get one this year? Almost at the bridge we heard our first Sedge Warbler (150) of the year.
Moving round to the hide we watched a Heron fishing unsuccessfully in the reedbed - didn't have the camera despite it being round our neck all flippin day!!! The two pairs of Teal were still present but no sign of any Garganey this evening.
Back in Gropperland it put in an aural 'sighting' as soon as we passed but again we only heard it and try as we might we couldn't see it.
A txt from the Rangers later told us of FIVE Grasshopper Warblers on the reserve!!!
Sorry no pics, but CR has put his Gropper pics on his webbo and they are deffo worth having a blimp at.
If anyone knows who is the chap that took the pics of the Weasel/Stoat catching a Grey Squirrel up a tree in the park the other day let us know.
Where to next? Back on the patches and maybe a couple of surprises.
In the meantime let us know what's been reeling you in in your outback.
1 comment:
I`ve also got a Gropper on my patch, Dave. Hoping to get some audio of it over the next couple of days.
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