Caught Napping

Really did think my luck was in as I spotted these gorgeous snipe and thought as I began to leave the Hide - 'better check on .......THE LIST' to see if Snipe had gone ....and it had!

Sooo did a few estuary shots and the pochard were having a snooze. Massive black clouds and I walked up to the Zeiss Hide and the bittern was back snuggled in the reeds. Not for long and out he popped good as gold! What is it about birdwatchers...this is an incredibly shy bird, you don't see it often but it was like a stampede not only to get a view but to shriek that it was there and loudly announce each movement it made! I sooo tried to keep shtum but afraid it got the better of me ......slightly.. ferocious glare with eyebrow no less ( and I would point out, that anyone who gets this should be very afraid! :)) ) and a shhhh at one point didn't even register on the radar!! I am obviously getting into a miserable old bag!

These pochards, very gregarious, were either snoozing or diving, and, no flies on the gulls, where a pochard was ....there was a gull, out for an easy meal as it disturbed the marsh floor! They rerely go onto land because the position of their legs well back for diving and underwater swimming make them top heavy and clumsy. To take off they have to patter across the water surface and fly in fast, tight formation but even prefer swimming to flying! A piece on info from a bird book - were they interviewed?