Thursday 29 December 2016

Peregrine was still there but...

The Safari and Wifey have been laid low with post-Christmas colds, Wifey's has developed in to a full blown chest infection requiring a trip to the quacks and a packet of horse pills this lunchime. You know you're deffo ill when your tea tastes more like coffee and your coffee tastes well err... and we've barely touched the festive booze. Consequently we haven't been out much apart from a quick sprint around Patch 1 with Monty. He still hasn't managed to spot any of the local Grey Squirrels and he knows where the Fox trails are.
The last time we were out with the bins and without Monty was the day after Boxing Day. The day started bright and sunny and as promised in our last post the local Peregrine was game on for having her pic taken.
That single brown feather in her wing suggests she's not yet fully adult.
After a quick nip back to Base Camp for some breakfast we headed off to the Nature Reserve sadly the promised all-day sunshine disappeared behind the heavy gloomy clouds. Once there it was even gloomier with little to be seen apart from flippin mutts roaming all over the place, from the relative sanctuary of the reedbeds we heard three or four Cetti's Warblers. We didn't have much of a look over the water but did note an awful lot of Coots and a decent number of Wigeon with probably more tucked up in areas we didn't look at. Continuing on dodging yet more mutts and their arrogant owners we came away not a little disheartened. but almost back at the car we found a small flock of Fieldfares feeding in an Apple tree s owe hung around sneaking foot by foot, minute by minute closer until they were in range of the lens - it never happened a dog walker walked right past us putting all the birds to flight. This was the best of the few shots we got as they flew away to the top of a much taller tree across the main roadway.
A dull day made more dismal and followed by illness - marvelous!
Where to next? If we're feeling better tomorrow we might try to get out somewhere for a couple of hours.
In the meantime let us know who's cutting through the gloom in your outback.

No comments: