Thursday 26 August 2010

It's not Autumn yet - it just feels like it

Marking time during the foul weather, a hide is a good place to be. When it's dark and raining, the birds don't seem to notice it and approach closer. Or maybe it's that there are fewer visitors so less commotion.
Birds tend to use the scrape for a rest on passage, so are soon gone. It does make for a bit of variety though. You won't be able to tell, but in the photo above there's a Ruff trying to ignore its noisy neighbours - a Snipe taking exception to the presence of a Water Rail.
As gloom descended, the Water Rail made its way around the water's edge, in front of the hide. Unlike their usual skulking habits, when they're on migration they can be quite showy.
Three Garganey seemed to like the shallows nearby, upending constantly.
The path to the hide is flanked by Bugloss - not Viper's Bugloss, but Bugloss, "covered over with a pricky hoarinesse" to use Gerard's description.
It's not yet Autumn, but with a good show of fungi already (could be a good year?) and the first Autumn Ladies Tresses emerging overnight on a number of lawns in the village, it feels like it.

3 comments:

Warren Baker said...

You did well to photograph anything in todays dismall light Steve.

Greenie said...

Steve ,
Another first for me the Lycopsis arvensis - I used to own one of those .
Nice trio of species together on the waters edge .

Mary said...

Nice variety! Love that egret! It feels like Autumn here, too. We really need some rain.