Time and Motion Man Wanted to Fit More Hours Into A Day

Too many things to do at home and work yet again results in another delayed blog entry.  Big Waters on Saturday had at least 4 Sedge Warblers around the hide with a couple of them singing continously.

A walk round the Brickworks and associated ponds in the Kibblesworth area guided by Mike produced a fair spattering of Butterflies including this Wall Brown.  At least 2 Dingy Skippers were seen also 

On the lower part of the Derwent I watched this Pied Wagtail take at least a dozen "flying things" in no more than 15mins.  Would have taken more pics but was catching a few rays and just watching the world drift by.

Up the hill at the turn off to Far Pasture a Red Kite was no more than 20ft above the road soaring up and down.  I just pulled into the entrance and stopped to watch for another 15mins.

Down at Shibdon Barney the Barnacle was doing a few circuits  and lets face the fact whilst it looks quite graceful in the air and on the ground the transition between the two is somewhat non-flattering.

A Common Sandpiper put in appearances on both days during the weekend although it was a bit camera shy.

There were up to 10 Common Terns present at one time with a lot of displaying going on

Slightly out of order but this cracking young Dipper howling for his Mam was a treat to watch but difficult to photograph as I had just been sitting on the bank of the Derwent when they flew in and parked themselves opposite me.  The parent then flew off to get some food for the young and it literally whined incessantly all the time the parent was absent

The star bird of the weekend was the Garganey at Shibdon on Sunday which is just so pretty.

Other notable sightings I managed were the pair of Avocets nesting up at Cresswell and the huge Marsh Harrier being mobbed by at least 30 Carrion, the 3 Wood Sandpipers at West Hartford, Another Wood Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover and Greenshank at Lamesley, the first sightings of Swift in a least 6 places over the whole weekend and finally the 2 empty Ice Cream Tubs that lay in the passenger seatwell most of the weekend to remind me I had consumed enough although on Sunday I went for fourth best and had a McFlurry for Lunch.