My Day

Another June weekend goes by with not a lot happening. Today being Father's Day, I invoked my prerogative and went out. First stop Barking for the presumably returning Ruddy Shelduck. Paul guided me through the river wastelands to a good vantage point, but didn't mention the assault course that I had to negotiate to actually access the river. Thankfully both I and the camera survived and once over the sea-wall I found myself right on Barking Bay. There were 158 Common Shelduck and the one Ruddy Shelduck feeding on the Mud, viz:


I suspect I won't be able to count it for my London year-list, but you never know, and anyway they're nice birds. I remember dashing to Cliffe for one a few year back when I was really wet behind the ears (in the twitching sense). I finally found it on the Flamingo Pool, about as far from where you leave the car as you can get, and recall feeling dead chuffed I'd scored. Then I came home and did my reading. Ah. These days of course, I do my reading first.

As I made my way back to the car, the resident Oystercatchers flew overhead, circling round and calling constantly. They must have young nearby, as anything that came near got seen off. Naturally I took a few shots. About 150 in fact. Same story as yesterday, too many. Sorry.






Next stop Rainham, which was devoid of birds. I gave it some time but my heart wasn't in it, and I spent a couple of hours near the woodland trying (and failing) to get a Cetti's Warbler in the viewfinder. On the way home Mrs L called with the excellent news that my Mother in Law was coming over and would be staying the night, thus rounding off a superb day.