A bit more Ruff stuff

I know I have sometimes whinged that weather doesn't affect Morton Bagot, and it's all just luck blah blah blah ! Well tonight just screamed Go Birding at me. 27 August, wind a light south-easterly, cloudy and humid. What's not to like.

So I got there as quickly as I could (19.10) and marched to the flash, being delayed only by a Badger (more of that later). Scope set up and bingo, four juvenile Ruff. Fantastic. This weather had, as I had hoped, done the business. Rotten for photography though.

The four Ruffs grouped together

They were all actively preening and I suspect they may have arrived pretty recently. A scan over the rest of the flash revealed an increase to 43 Teal, twenty or so Lapwings, and on the far flash at least five Green Sandpipers.

At least I had remembered my mobile phone this time. I headed back, and was just going past the pool when an odd call, strangely Snipe like, had me wheeling round in time to see three Grey Partridges disappearing over the ridge.

Well I just had to ring Lyn, who managed to sound interested despite the fact that she was immersed in the Great British Bake-off. My only slight twinge of regret was that even the Ruffs weren't a year-tick, but then a bird which was, popped onto the top of the hedge and Lyn got to hear "Whinchat" shoe-horned into the conversation.

By now it was basically dark, so the following shot is purely for the record.

95. Whinchat

I will very surprised if I don't get a chance of better views at the weekend. Speaking of good views, that Badger. I was rather stopped in my tracks soon after I arrived to find it feeding on the shoreline of the pool just the other side of the fence. Then the penny dropped. The photographers must have put out bait, probably peanuts, which the Badger was wolfing down.

I soon tired of waiting for it to put its head up, and when I moved on so did the Badger.