The day started rather successfully with a singing male Blackcap audible from the garden, followed shortly after by the Green Woodpecker that proved rather frustrating last week when I saw it fly over my house from about 500m away! Today I was in the right place at the right time! Up to 73 now!
On the way home I got a text from Ollie if I fancied going to Wheldrake this evening. Unfortunately I said I'd got a bit too much on so would regrettably have to give it a miss.
This evening, I'd just started watering the garden when the phone went. It was Ollie. He'd got a drake Blue-winged Teal at Wheldrake. Argh! I didn't think I'd have enough time to get down there with the remaining light but I thought it would be worth a shot. A very quick drive got me to Wheldrake. A quick 'jog' down to Swantail Hide saw me in place and scanning the refuge. Cuckoo, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler were all singing away. A few more of the local managed to get down. An anxious 40 odd minutes passed before it was eventually picked up in amongst tall grass but by this time it was more-or-less dark and fairly distant and nowhere near as showy as it had been when Ollie first picked it out.
Blue-winged Teal in flight © Dan Pancamo 2010.
Great find Ollie and thanks for the call. Check out Ollie's blog here for full account etc. I'll have to try and get down tomorrow evening if it hangs about. Hopefully it might make an appearance on North Duffield Carrs too at some point?
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