Birds adding to my Life List

On Wednesday morning I was up very early as I wanted to get out the the Quarry pond again. I was even on the first bus out of the village. Its not the first time I have been on that bus, and it remarkable the number of people who do use it. Also, as most of the people who do utilise this are regulars, I am on nodding terms with the people from my village that are up that early.

I got to the pond and started filming what was there, nothing very remarkable and I was starting to feel that I may have wasted my time going down. While I was thinking this a small flock of Mallard swam past. I was not really taking that much notice, as they were not doing anything that extraordinary. But as I looked I realised that one was not a Mallard at all, it was a Shoveller. That adds to my life list. I did get some film of it but they were to far away really to get anything of quality.

Its funny because a good friend had said in her blog, on the subject of waiting patently, that I would pour scorn on her just stopping and peeking rather than waiting long hours. It is true that I do spend a lot of time waiting around for the wildlife to appear, but equally, I have had some remarkable chance encounters. This is further illustrated by what happened next.

I heard a bird calling a short “Teck” from over in the reed beds. I scanned very carefully and finally I saw what was calling, I tried to line up the camera but it flew off before I could start filming. However, I was reasonably sure I knew what the call was, another new bird for my life list, a Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti It cant get better than this.

As my time there was limited, I got this lovely bit of film of the Mute Swan grooming before I had to leave.