What Happens in July...

As is to be expected at this time of year, it's been pretty quiet on the birding front of late. We'll ignore the Black-Browed Albatross, oh, and the Bridled Tern.  But save those two it's been quiet as you like, even our old friend the Short-toed Eagle's been absent for a few days.  So yes, it's that time again, the time to turn to butterflies.  Nature's way of filling this often blank period.  For me it's easy - yesterday I got excited at finding a Small Skipper.. it was a lifer.  As you can see the easy isn't meaning I'm (at all) good with butterflies... Even so I've joined up with gusto.  It also gives me another load of subjects to photograph in the unflattering light generously given to us by summer afternoons.  Yes, I should get out earlier.
 I've only managed sixteen species so far this year, the most noteworthy likely being Green Hairstreak. So yes there's a lot of work to do yet, but at least I haven't turned to Moths...

Back in the Game

After over a month, last Wednesday my lens was back from the repairs.  What a relief. And what a dilemma.  As you may well know, I had originally believed it to be the displacement of a lens element. A fairly costly repair yes, but ah, if only that's what it had been.  No, what had broken was the Optical Stabiliser.  Which belongs to quite a different spectrum of price - in short over twice as much.  Eegh, painful just about comes close to it.
 So after weeks of macro photography, it was nice to be back in the field with a telephoto again.  I dread to think of the shots I may have missed in that time.
 On Sunday I headed over to Kensington Gardens to fill my memory card up with picture of birds, to make a change from insects.  Indeed I was also keen to see the Tawny Owlets as I hadn't had a chance to get over there for them this year. After a bit of searching two did show pretty well, even flying in broad daylight!  Although only to a new tree.  By now they've been out of the nest for quite a while, and already look more like adult birds.  Not many downy feathers left!

So that's the last matter of the slump resolved, I'm back in the game.  Now with the weather we've been having await many images with blown highlights....

Eagley Awaiting

Am I now a twitcher?  Thinking back to my birding this year I'm becoming inclined to say so.  Perhaps I should be put under the bracket of 'occasional twitcher'.  Much more justifiable.  Although 'frequent dipper' may be more appropriate.
 With a Short-Toed Eagle being regularly seen from Ashdown Forest for the last few days, and showing pretty well, how could I not go and see this mega?  So a trip down yesterday, in short - failed. Miserably.  No sign of the eagle and pretty much void of anything else of interest.
It's a mega, of course we tried again.  An earlier start this morning and immediately things seemed more promising.  Arriving in Long Car park shortly after eight, we picked up on two Woodlark, a male Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher and a Stonechat.  Already a deal better than before.  News then came in that the Eagle was in a dead tree ten minutes away at Gill's Lap.  Fifteen minutes later (thanks to a thoughtlessly slow truck) we pulled up.   I left the car in some hurry, and... yep, it was there.  Wow, what a bird!  After a few minutes it left the tree showing off it's hugely impressive wingspan, before proceeding to disappear behind the trees. Mega, not just for its rarity level. Well worth the hours.
 In the surrounding area we had more Stonechats, Redstarts and a couple of Buzzards.  It took a bit of searching, but this was followed up by some good views of singing and 'parachuting' Tree Pipits.
 Tree Pipit being my 200th British species!  I'm calling the slump well and truly over.

                                                     You have my word this an Eagle...

Pitch and Patch

I must say that today I was, for the first time in quite a while impressed by the patch. An aim to beat the patch day record of thirty seven didn't succeed, only off by three.  That's with some extremely obvious ones missing, Greylag Goose being one...that's the way it goes I suppose.  Today was a little bit more about quality than quantity.  Well, quality for the patch.  There's a big difference.
 A singing Coal Tit sparked things off, it being my first ever record away from winter.  Juvenile Goldcrest, Great-spotted Woodpecker and then a patch year-tick in the form of a Jay.  The old Pitch and Putt course held the real gem though, a Willow Warbler.  Surprisingly a patch first for me. Well, perhaps not so surprising if you consider that this was my first for the year.  Why it took so long I don't know.

So that, coupled with three year-ticks at Rainham yesterday, I think we can safely call the slump off.... for now.

And it Continues...

 The appearance of a Marsh Warbler just a short train ride away at Seaford Head was much too tempting to resist.  A nice close by rarity and the possibility to end my slump?  Of course I went.  It was perhaps too spontaneous a trip though.  Within forty minutes of hearing about it I was on my way.  Not the wisest of ideas as I then realised it hadn't been seen for a few hours.  Ah well you never know, it may pop up again.  Apparently not.  And despite the best efforts of several people, it remained unseen and unheard.  I gave it an hour or two before conceding  that yet again I had succeeded in dipping.  Of course, it was relocated in the evening, much later than I was there though.
 Oh well, at least I managed to life-tick a Green Hairstreak Butterfly.  A rather tatty individual, not the usual stunning green, but still a fantastic looking butterfly to see, it even posed for a couple of quick shots.  
My 500mm is in repairs at the moment, so maybe in a couple of weeks it'll be back to birds....

The Slump

As would be easily deduced from the title, of late I have somewhat hit a slump.  Although May started off well with Garden Warblers, Hobby's and the return of Swifts, things have gone slightly down hill since then.  A good place to start I suppose would be with my lens currently being out of action.  I, as I'm sure many of you know, use the Sigma 150-500mm, and have done for the last sixteen months.  It's seen an awful lot of use in that time, but enough to cause a problem?  I wouldn't have said so, but apparently it has.  Last week a glass element inside of the lens became dislodged, causing horrendous distortion to the image.  It looks like there may be a few weeks with no bird photography, and a £130 repair bill.  Eugh, I suppose I'll be stuck with macro....

 My year-list, has remained firmly fixed on 157 for longer than I'm comfortable with, I mean I haven't even seen a Willow Warbler this year... is that even possible?
 A Tree Pipit at Wanstead looked to be a nice local lifer, but it was not to be.  A twitch to see a Red-footed Falcon at Lee Valley went wrong when the report was declared erroneous. Fantastic. At least there'll be Nightingale and Cuckoo about... oh if only. Neither showed. One day, three dips.
  Just to ice the cake, there's been nothing on the patch more eye-catching than four Swifts. What I'd give for a Swallow....
 Maybe one of the rare birds that are dotted around just out of reach will come that little bit closer and this slump will be over.  Although more likely than not I'd dip it.

It's a fun Hobby

More warblers at Wanstead Flats, with a Garden Warbler around for the last week it didn't seem in a hurry to go anywhere.  So a quick trip on Sunday was... well surprisingly more successful than I had expected.  My first House Martin and Swift of the year wasn't too poor a start as we headed into the 'brooms' to look for Whinchat. That drew a blank, but a Hobby flying past was rather a surprise.  It showed again and much better this time as we headed to look for the Garden Warbler.  Not the usual setting to see one!

 The Garden Warbler was easy enough to find, its constant singing gave it away just a bit.  It didn't show too badly either.  Admittedly yes, it showed terribly for a photo, but it gave nice, reasonably close views....