Saturday, April 17, 2004

It's A Wonderful Life



I meant to get up early this morning but I stayed in bed until 07:15. Lazy. I drove to Eldernell in the hope of seeing a Ring Ouzel. It was a lovely morning, but there were none there, and no Wheatears either. Oh well. You can't have everything.

Instead I concentrated my efforts on trying to digiscope singing birds. I hoped they'd be sitting fairly still, but it was the usual story of birds buggering off just when I was ready to take a picture. I was all set to get what I thought would be some fantastic pics of a singing male Blackcap, but every time I pressed the shutter, he was facing away from me! Finally, I got one half-decent image.

I don't mind. Fortunately, the Nene Washes is the kind of place where you can return, having seen nothing, and not feel too hard done by. Some of the best birds were by the car as I arrived: a Barn Owl floated by over the meadows, with Black-headed Gulls in close attendance (but keeping a safe distance). By the sluice gate on Morton's Leam, a pair of Pied Wagtails were a'courting. He was fervently bowing up and down, while she crouched down before seeing him off with a warning wave of the bill.

What's in my CD player: It's A Wonderful Life - Sparklehorse