Sunday 26 February 2012

A good day on patch (River Coly)

BLIMEY! Some free time AND it's not raining; now that's a true rarity. I went for a very brief walk along part of the Coly on Friday (24th) to see if I could track down the Dipper that has been seen there recently. I didn't see it, but definitely heard it (COMPLETELY unmistakable call). It flew right passed me but my face was planted on my camera as I was photographing a GS Woodpecker at the time, hence why I didn't see the Dipper! I also saw a male Kingfisher multiple times.
So with some free time today I headed back down the Coly to try and get a glimpse of the Dipper. Once again it was heard a long time before it was seen, but I did eventually see it land. I got a few shots of it inbetween its 'dips' but it was pretty dark so the photos are not of a high standard. Also saw 2 Kingfishers (I'm hoping that it was one of each sex as the other Kingfisher nest site looks to only have had a male resident, with no female seen nearby AT ALL since last summer). There were at least 4 buzzards flying around, got some distant shots of a pair mating on a low branch of a tree... but I won't post them. Also a Grey Heron (as usual), and a dancing Grey Wagtail:



Now I'm eagerly awaiting the clocks to change so I can get out in the evenings with at least some light remaining!