Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Whitethroat

It's been a busy month for me at work (they've imposed a holiday ban for the next two months which is not conducive to finding and photographing Spring migrants!) and I've also done a fair bit of running.
On the May Bank Holiday I spent a windy day on Anglesey fruitlessly searching for a trip of Dotterel. Compensation was had by photographing migrant Wheatears. The afternoon was spent as South Stack RSPB but there were still no auks on the cliffs, but a Harbour Porpoise was feeding just off the stack.
The previous Saturday I spent the morning in North Wales where I had fabulous views of thirteen lecking Black Grouse, along with Whinchat and Whitethroat. I had planned to try and photograph more warblers this Spring, but the unseasonably cool weather and lack of time off have put paid to that mini project. I did photograph a Whitethroat at Inner Marsh Farm RSPB on the 20th of April. I had been visiting the site to see a male Blue-winged Teal which was far too distant for even record shots.
On the 11th of May I completed the 33 miles Sandstone Trail challenge in Cheshire in very changeable weather conditions including rain and hail. I did see my first Cuckoo of the year though, and views ranging from the Shropshire hills, Welsh hills and Jodrell Bank made it a very enjoyable day.
The next day, despite some complaints from my leg muscles I ran the Chester Half Marathon in a time of 84 minutes!



Whitethroat at Inner Marsh Farm

Meadow Pipit in the rain, North Wales

Whitethroat, North Wales
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Marsh Tits at Leighton Moss
Short-eared Owl