Sunday 29 September 2013

Best sighting at Base Camp so far!

The Safari was out a fraction before 08.00 this morning. It wasn't the best of mornings.
Sunny, 1 okta - again all clouds from plane on trails
10 - 15mph ENE strengthening 15 - 20 E
12C @ 08.00

Before we got out of our pit we'd heard two skeins of Pink Footed Geese going over, there's little better than being tucked up snug as a bug in a rug and listening to the sounds of the wild outside.
Meadow Pipit 23 S to 10.00 largest flock 7 like we said hardly earth-shattering this morning
Jackdaw 1W a local bird?
2 Female Blackbirds in the Rowan tree
Butterflies were on the wing after lunch, 2 Speckled Woods and 3 Small Tortoiseshells.
At 13.30 our look-outs the gulls went up but we couldn't see anything, quarter of an hour later a Sparrowhawk drifted over quite low, mystery probably solved.
We don't get many dragonflies at Base Camp despite the large pond so when one flew over we clocked it and it looked pretty small for any of the usual species. Fortunately it settled, even allowing us to get the camera from indoors...Black Darter only fourth we've seen in town in the last 23 years - get in!!! Base Camp's top sighting since we moved in 10 years ago.
We couldn't get to the other side for better light. It (surely not another) returned about ten minutes later but didn't settle this time.
More usual garden fare included our Goldfinches, still can't get as many Greenfinches as FW...yet
The Woodpigeons wait for the others to spill seed from the feeders for them to hoover up
 Don't know much about clouds but these had a funky pattern to them
One of Wifey's Gladioli
Where to next? More from an increasingly windy Base Camp. 
In the meantime let us know what blew your socks off in your outback

2 comments:

cliff said...

I'm massively envious of the Black Darter, what a great garden visitor that is.

Warren Baker said...

Black darter! Superb! Never even seen one of those Davyman!