Friday 2 May 2008

Ellesmere - Gropper!!

This story starts the previous evening where I was giving a talk to the Ellesmere branch of the SWT. Birds were the main feature and one of the audience came up to me later with what are now immortal words - "Do you know a bird that sounds like a Cricket?" I did (Could it really be a Gropper!) and we swapped contact details with a promise of the location to follow.....

The next day after work, on checking my voicemail, I had enough to go on and decided to check it out. The drive to Ellesmere seems endless especially when the light is fading and just by luck - the only place to park along the narrow lane between Ellesmere and Sandy Hill just happened to be where I was about to tick for the first time in Shropshire - Grasshopper Warbler!


I could hear it reeling as soon as I got out of the car and almost immediately had some startling views - too darn close!!! The bird was literally filling the big lens field of view! It never really came completely out in the open but I had two awesome chances (when it nearly did) to get a picture of two as it emerged from the depths of the hedge.

I never really got the shot I was after but with twigs here and there, got just about every angle of view! Apologies for the bits of green here and there but tell you what - I'll settle for these!!

Cracking start to the Bank Holiday weekend, now how about them Dotterel.....