Sunday 18 September 2011

More Waders

A quick scoot out to Davidstow airfield on Saturday evening and found the Buff Brested Sandpiper easily enough .Got pretty close and took a few shots, spoilt with these super birds here ,expecting to see at least one each autumn, but still one of my favorites.

Buff Brested Sandpiper-Davidstow airfield


Semipalmated Sandpiper at Drift.
On Sunday I spent  most of the day at Drift resevior and eventually got excellent views of the Semipalmated Sandpiper as it fed along the shoreline with Dunlin & a Curlew Sandpiper and had brief views of the Lesser Yellowlegs but too far for any photos. The waders just keep coming ,and I've just seen that there is a White Rumped Sandpiper at Davidstow but I and the current Mrs Davey are off to Derbyshire for the week and I'm not too sure how understanding she will be if I want to dissapear in the morning and delay the journey.Perhaps it will stay for a week ,but I doubt it. Oh well must'nt grumble.

Thursday 15 September 2011

Greater Yellowlegs & Sabine's Gull

Just could'nt concentrate at work this morning ( sep 13th ) with the news of a Greater Yellowlegs found at Wadebridge on the previous day,so left at lunchtime and went a twitching for what would be a lifer for me,and I think a first for Cornwall..On arriving at the Camel trail was told of a Sabine's Gull flying around at very close range,and a very smart juvinile bird was easily located,now the problem was do I stay with the Sabs and try for some decent photos or do I walk the mile or more for the Yellowlegs first and hope the gull was still around later.,The rareity of the American wader won the day and half an hour later I was looking at the Greater Yellowlegs through the scope on the opposite side of the water,way to far for any photos but had to take one just for the record.Luckily the Sabines Gull was still showing well & I managed a few shots.
A very poor distant record shot of the Greater Yellowlegs

Sabines Gull

Juvinile Sabines Gull
A couple more photos of the Sabines Gull are on my main website.

Some commoner waders

Juvinile Curlew Sandpiper

Juvinile Ringed Plover
Two waders taken on Davidstow airfield last week , a Curlew Sandpiper which now seems pretty tame what with all the American goodies turning up down west,and a common old Ringed Plover (or juvinile actually),but a Buff Brested is present at the moment ,but west is best at the moment so perhaps a trip at the weekend.

Thursday 1 September 2011

An inquisitive Stoat

This was the best view of a Stoat ( or is it a Weasel ,never did see its tail, and i'm not going anywhere near that terrible old joke ) I've had,shame it did'nt last a bit longer though. I noticed it in a roadside ditch at Davidstow and managed to pull up in front of it , getting the camera ready,I opened the window and used a beanbag to rest the lens on,and put on my trusty hat to break up my outline.The vegitation was moving right beside me so I made a few squeaking sounds too see if I could get its attention,and this chap looked out at me, my squeaks got louder & as high pitched as I could manage and the Stoat got bolder,I managed a few shots but just as it got up onto its back legs to get a better look to see where the noise was coming from a bloody great lorry & horsebox went past and scared it away, that would have been the compitition winning shot. But at the end of the day lovely to see and happy with the few photos I've got.