Rock Pipit

While Mrs B was doing her shopping in Campbeltown this morning, I disappeared for half an hour and went for a drive out Kilkerran Road towards Davaar Island. It was grey and overcast with occasional shower, so I wasn't hopeful of getting a blip.

I love driving along this road as there's always a wide variety of wildlife within a very short distance. When the tide is out there is usually plenty of sea birds and waders about. The problem today however was the light, which didn't offer much hope of a decent blip at distance. I did try for a Curlew and some Oyster Catchers but, as I thought, they required too high an ISO and turned out all grainy.

Before I turned to go back to Campbeltown I noticed what I took to be a family of small birds on the road. They flew off as I approached and, because I couldn't identify them, I decided to see if I could blip them on the way back. As I approached them I slowed to a crawl and they flew onto an old stone wall beside the road. I crept forward very slowly and managed to get some shots as they ate bugs and other things in the cracks of the wall.

Back home I got the bird book out and identified them as Rock Pipits. Certainly seen them often enough before, but never knew what they were. I liked this shot as it looks like the Rock Pipit is posing in a frame of grasses, dried flowers and rock!

Blip has certainly helped me improve my knowledge and understanding of birds.