The title is pinched, it’s a song by a puerile band called Right Said Fred. The photographs aren’t any better than the band though I did find one Dipper and a pair of Goosander so a hundred per cent improvement on yesterday. It is just so dark and misty. A day for ultra fast four or five hundred millimetre lenses. Does anyone own one? Be good to know. A millionaire reading my ramblings….Wow!
Despite rain over night the river was lower again and one Dipper was available. I shot the following then moved in a large circle to creep closer……………waste of time creeping it flitted off not to be seen again.
These photographs will enlarge and are uncropped so much better than my earlier attempt. They are however very noisy so there is still much scope for improvement.
The Goosander are little better but the female is indulging in very strange behaviour……Who said……’Goes without saying?’……Away and wash your mouth out. I thought she had become entangled in fishing line or something but it appears she was just showing off………….little hussy! Had me worried for a while.
She does look as if she’s drowning…………..if it’s courtship it seems a little extreme. Wasted on him……He’s busy dreaming of fish.
They are very timid and unlike Mallard don’t eat bread so short of scattering tinned sardines on the water it’s difficult to tempt them closer………………….Suspect they would find it difficult to open the tin in any case. Good job they don’t eat corned beef!!
It’s getting brighter as I write this so I’ll swap lenses and go and have another look at the Priory.
We are back to the wetlands at Thorpe Farm tomorrow. Whooper Swan and Lapwing country………..Hark at me! Forever the optimist. The reality will be half a dozen Rooks and a couple of Wood Pigeon.
Have a great weekend, all the best.
You have a good weekend too Adrian.
ReplyDeleteThe only place I can recall that we were fairly certain to see Dippers was the River Duddon but that was when cameras still used plates (ok I exaggerate - my VPK used a film). They are a splendid little bird.
ReplyDeleteGraham, dippers are pretty common. Any fast flowing water attracts them...........pesticides kill them...but despite the best endeavours of a right wing coalition DDT will still remain banned.
ReplyDeleteAwful what they are considering for forests but we have done very little with them Kielder is near wildness but harvested, replanted and left alone could become the new forest of Dean for future generations.
I think you're right about the male; his thoughts are of fish lol
ReplyDeleteIt's the female telling a disinterested male she's ready for mating, and he's ignoring her; what a silly boy. Good catch Adrian. Something I've not seen myself before. The female Goldeneye does a very similar performance too.
Keith, thanks for the clarification......brings a whole new perspective to the expression 'F..k a Duck!'.
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