A poor portrait of a super bird. Usual moans about it being nearly dark, blowing a gale, etc...
photo taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece
Showing posts with label Maxey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maxey. Show all posts
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Yellowhammer
A poor portrait of a super bird. Usual moans about it being nearly dark, blowing a gale, etc...
photo taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Bogbumper And The Curse Of The Black Tern
This morning I was woken at 05:45 by a text from Mike 'Early Birder' Weedon which said:
"Blak [sic] tern @ maxey now 5.45am. M"
I neeeeeeeeeed Black Tern for my PBC area list. That was enough of a stimulus to get even me out of bed. I grabbed my scope, bins, camera etc. and set off.
I arrived at Maxey at 06:15 (it would have been sooner if I hadn't gone the wrong way - twice). There was no sign of Weed, and worse still, no bloody terns! I waited around for more than a hour, in the vain hope that they might come back, but there was no sign.
After that bitter disappointment, I went to Castor Hanglands (I'm a sucker for punishment), and had my best-ever views of Grasshopper Warbler. I heard one reeling as I got out of the car, and decided to have a wander up the track to look for it (it sounded close, but they can be quite misleading). Scanning around, I soon saw it sitting low in a tree. After watching for a while, I decided it was worth a digiscoping attempt.
Hardly worth it, but it's fun trying. It's not easy to understand how Groppers sing. They just seem to sit there, open their bills and somehow the mechanical sound spills out. The only sign of any effort is the vibrating tail.
Also at CH were a few Turtle Doves, a couple of Cuckoos, and a lot of young birds.
These Common Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) made a nice display.
This flower is pretty, but I don't know what it is...
Update: Mum says it's Goatsbeard, Tragopogon orientalis, otherwise known as Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon.
What's in my CD player: Thriller - Lambchop
"Blak [sic] tern @ maxey now 5.45am. M"
I neeeeeeeeeed Black Tern for my PBC area list. That was enough of a stimulus to get even me out of bed. I grabbed my scope, bins, camera etc. and set off.
I arrived at Maxey at 06:15 (it would have been sooner if I hadn't gone the wrong way - twice). There was no sign of Weed, and worse still, no bloody terns! I waited around for more than a hour, in the vain hope that they might come back, but there was no sign.
After that bitter disappointment, I went to Castor Hanglands (I'm a sucker for punishment), and had my best-ever views of Grasshopper Warbler. I heard one reeling as I got out of the car, and decided to have a wander up the track to look for it (it sounded close, but they can be quite misleading). Scanning around, I soon saw it sitting low in a tree. After watching for a while, I decided it was worth a digiscoping attempt.
Hardly worth it, but it's fun trying. It's not easy to understand how Groppers sing. They just seem to sit there, open their bills and somehow the mechanical sound spills out. The only sign of any effort is the vibrating tail.
Also at CH were a few Turtle Doves, a couple of Cuckoos, and a lot of young birds.
These Common Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) made a nice display.
This flower is pretty, but I don't know what it is...
Update: Mum says it's Goatsbeard, Tragopogon orientalis, otherwise known as Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon.
What's in my CD player: Thriller - Lambchop
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Maxey GP
This afternoon I went out for a drive to Maxey GP. Not terribly exciting... two smashing male Yellow Wagtails, a Shelduck, about 50 Sand Martins, a Green Sandpiper, a singing Willow Warbler...
Much more interesting was the Cuckoo that flew in front of the car near Helpston. But extremely annoying was the Little Gulls at Ferry Meadows CP at 15:00! All gone by 17:00. There seems to have been a bit of a movement today.
Today's favourite news stories:
Young female chimps upstage males
Pizza cone takes a slice of food-on-the-move action
What's in my CD player: Mwng - Super Furry Animals
Much more interesting was the Cuckoo that flew in front of the car near Helpston. But extremely annoying was the Little Gulls at Ferry Meadows CP at 15:00! All gone by 17:00. There seems to have been a bit of a movement today.
Today's favourite news stories:
Young female chimps upstage males
Pizza cone takes a slice of food-on-the-move action
What's in my CD player: Mwng - Super Furry Animals
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