STILL BIRDING AFTER ALL THESE MONTHS (02/03/11)

Another glorious day but decidedly cool……….not to worry it’s much better than it could be at this time of year.

We had breakfast whilst gazing at the feeders………a few new visitors today. Greenfinch, Spotted Woodpecker, Robin and a flock of Long Tailed Tits. Due to the proximity of the food to the van window I failed to get a picture of the Woodpecker, wary blighters they are.

     A Long Tailed Tit………..a first for me.

     There are surprisingly few Robins and Blackbirds but this one has been popping round for mealworms. He’ll be out of luck tomorrow as a dozen Starlings called round ate the mealworms and decimated the fatballs. Greedy wee devils.

       A Greenfinch. these are amusing they spend more time defending the feeder than eating.

           I think this is a Greenfinch as well…………so maybe the other one isn’t. They may be a male and female or something else entirely…….most of you know my capacity for dubious identification. It is definitely not a Penguin.

That’s it the muesli done and dusted, sometimes the bird food looks more appetising than my breakfast. We then wandered down to the estuary. The tide was in and I had hoped it would drive the waders within range…….it had driven them somewhere, somewhere else entirely. Nothing about but I set up anyway.

I must look a bigger plonker than usual as I hide under the new poncho. This has advantages and disadvantages. I can’t see the dogs and they know it………..little imps………no sooner do I get underneath it than away they go a rabbiting. it’s also one hell of a business lighting a fag without starting a major conflagration. The advantage is passers by can’t identify the idiot underneath.

After half an hour and several excursions to retrieve the dogs I tied them to a rock and was rewarded by the arrival of a flock of Wigeon. (spill chucker is insisting there is a [D] in Wigeon). I’ve told it to get lost!

    Now that was worth the wait………………..I switched to video mode………….wish I’d had more sense!

Widgeon at Ravenglass

I don’t know what happened with the final credit but I got in a muddle and a bit of a tis and couldn’t delete the frames……..decided S-D IT! Not the attitude of a dedicated professional I’ll admit. The footage leaves much to be desired so it has a sort of symmetry.

Tomorrow we are away to a tarn on the fell there are a pair of brown coloured geese up there. Bet they are either no longer there or they are Greylags. Still there should be some good views. Hope so it’s two hours walk uphill.

That’s all for today.