A bit of a sitter...

Yesterday was another chance for Nick to dip Two-barred Crossbill, so I took him up to Lynford Arboretum early morning to that effect. Remarkably we did not dip the Crossbill, which I think was a surprise to all of us, but when it had the Bradders seal of approval we knew it was the real deal. I'd had a quick glance at it, high up in a tree, and decided that my time would be far better wasted chasing Nuthatches around, of which there were many, some exceedingly friendly. Whilst the boys pondered tertials or something, I went and found a nice perch, and set it up next to one of the big trees that a particular bird seemed to be quite enjoying.

Happiness, there is no other word for it. It didn't just go and perch on my perch, which I had placed right next to a trunk it had been frequenting, it only went and gave a little head turn as it bounced across to the next tree!! Rare Crossbills, whatever. Nuthatches on mossy sticks however..... I could have stayed there all morning, and indeed I may go back another day with a tripod and a different lens, as I found myself with the 800mm and a monopod, and it was a tad too dark for all the images to come out nicely. I walked around with a large smile on my face for the rest of the morning. And took the perch home for future use....

An excellent morning out, Lynford is heaving with birds, and with a number of decent sites in the Brecks handily close by, it's an easy and rewarding trip that doesn't require hours and hours in the car. Unlike Easington, which I have today chosen to utterly ignore, despite the promise of a probable Blyth's Pipit.