do have a picture this time
The one that I couldn't load up, but is now compressed so doesn't look as it did when it wasn't. Anyway, the patch is wet, the tide is high so there is little going on.
Whitlingham doing swan cliche photo.
Showing posts with label Swan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swan. Show all posts
Two ticks.
Due to internal physical reasons, which I will not distress you with here dear reader, I was up with the Crested Lark this morning, and spend my time wisely by shuffling about on the river bank, watching not much happen. The wetland centre has had Hobby in the last few days, so I was secretly hoping for one of those little belters. Of course, they didn’t appear.
After an hour or so things started to pick up. The Blackcap started singing again, an Egyptian Goose flew about for a bit and then I picked up a Swallow going about it’s business on the other side of the river. Patch year tick! After a short while I returned to the Blackcap, in the hope that I could find a female and I was alerted by an unfamiliar call over the river. Eyyyyyyyyes left! Bingo! Common Tern flying down river. Shmokin! Patch year tick! That brings it up to 53 for the year and more still to come.
Swan anyone?
Unsure and inconsistent
Inconveniently, work has managed to get in the way of my daily sojourns over the last few days, so there is little to report - but I feel that have a duty to you, dear reader, to let you know that I have not perished in a bizarre accident while leaning over the Thames to try and ensure that every gull I see is not a Kittiwake.
Of course, with gulls providing much of the interest on the river, I have to ensure that each group of Black-heads and Commons is scanned fully to ensure that I have not missed the chance of a Med or Ring-billed or for that matter a Little or Bonapartes (fat chance of that!). Yesterday there was a good shout for a Yellow Legged, but as it became distant and stationary almost immediately, I couldnt know for sure, so it will remain in the 'probably wasn't' pile. Other than that, the Linnets are still knocking about, a fair few Tufties are scattered over the area and a pair of pintail flew away from the river yesterday.
Obviously the sensible blogthing to do is supply a picture of a gull. So here are some swans from earlier today.
A Bullfinch gets me thinking
Knowing that I would find something small and interesting at Brent Res yesterday, we started at the sailing club end. I had a 'feeling' that there was a passerine to be found (other than the inevitable tits), and lo it appeared and bloody lovely it was too. A male Bullfinch, and diligently I have taken a dodgy pic of it. Not seeing these very often (my last was a female flying across the M25 and before that a male across the M11) I was more than happy for a patch tick and a year tick.
The patch tick got me thinking of what makes a patch? We've been to the Brent Res 9 times, and I like it. It is strangely reminiscent of my first proper patch (Surlingham Church Marsh) as there is a shooting club next to both, the regular snap of pistols and the flying of red flags while searching for another LBJ - Surlingham however did not have a fucking great Stadium at one end (ie Wem-ber-leee). There have been visits in winter, late summer and autumn, but nothing in spring and early summer. Without the full years view of the seasons and subsequent years to compare it against, I feel that it doesn't quite qualify (on purely self imposed rules) but it's almost there. After the weekend hiatus, the Fulham patch will of course be presenting me with some gulls to ponder later in the day. And maybe a Greenfinch?
Accidentally arty farty photo of a swan with a dribbly nose....
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