For a long time there I thought we'd lost the young Great Crested Grebe on the Shoulder of Mutton, others though had seen him–so just me then! Come Saturday and I decide upon something stupid: to stay up all night just to get on the patch at first light, all a bit silly really as all I got was bitten and interfered with by small bitey flies and bitey mosquito.
It was a bit grim, but Swifts like grim and a hundred or so piled their way west over Long Wood. A few Black-headed gull slopped over, one could have been interesting but I only got the arse end of it as it flew over my head. None of the black patches of the others on the underwing, but a bit of black on the head but whether it was a mask or a cap I couldn't tell and even I can't claim a Sandwich Tern on that basis.
Got to say apart from the bitey flies it was very nice being the only human on the flats, but then Rob Sheldon twittered of a Common Tern on Heronry, which kinda was a downer. A coffee called and hope that the bird might come back I went via the Esso to the park. I thought I check out the warblers to see if I could source more than the 8 from Friday. I couldn't however the GC Grebe was showing, and then it did a bit of practice wind flapping, a long run up and back again and even lifted off the water. That probably gave it the shock of its life and would probably stop it from being so rash. I decided to move before I fell asleep, but glanced back to see the bird actually airborne and doing little circuits of the pond. Magnificent. Who could blame it: abandoned by dad shortly after hatching and then mum buggers off leaving you to fend for yourself, with only the quarrelsome Little Grebe for company–who wouldn't want to fly the coup.
I have no found a new favourite hoverfly/fly things sp. Spent an hour on the web trying to find hoverfly with white tipped antennae, UK and combinations on that theme–bugger all, so it must be rare...
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