The great funnyman himself lives on - in the form of repeats, Utube and a (currently very popular) L-shaped shed with windows. There was nothing funny about a mid morning attempt to gain entry however - aborted due to the coachload who had descended en-masse, trying to rewrite the 'Guinness' record for humans crammed into a bird hide! Through the sea of heads, (amid cries of claim and counter claim for one amongst the few hundred roosting Black-tailed Godwit and Common Redshank), we resolved to search for Spotted Redshank later!
I half expected someone writing up the sightings to shout "Have you got the scrolls" I suppose there's only one answer to that, "No, I always walk this way"? Oh never mind, it was funny when Eric cracked it.....
Ahh... the peace and solitude of mid afternoon! You could swing a scope with extended tripod legs by the strap (although I wouldn't recommend it)
Plenty of Common Redshank about, including this obliging individual....
Six Avocets, (here's five of them) another year tick!
Plus the other year bird I was after - Spotted Redshank!
I'm working on an 'identity crisis' talk and given the confusion this species was causing the the collective scrum in the morning - a side by side shot might come in useful? Hey presto (these are as they happened - not 'composites').....
Almost impossible to mistake the real bird with that long fine bill, decurved at the tip, pale head / upperpart plumage / prominent eyestripe.
A Greenshank was also on hand for comparison too....
Finally.....
What do you think of the blog so far?? No.... don't answer that!
