Flaming Blips

Flaming morning sky reflected in water at Sandside. A sharp contrast to the softer, tranquil colours of yesterday's sunrise blip. This was taken at 0500 hours, and the sky burned like this for 10 minutes.

I was 2 miles from home en route to Flookburgh to do the last of the season's breeding bird Atlas visits. I've enjoyed the early mornings on 14 visits throughout the breeding season. The Atlas visits take you to places that you would not normally visit, at times when there is no-one about, the light is at its most beautiful, and there is a little magic in the air. At this end of the season, the cacophony of the dawn chorus is much more subdued, and there are newly fledged birds everywhere. Today's highlight on the coast at Flookburgh were the small parties of linnets along the sea wall flocking to feed on seeds of plants growing amongst the limestone blocks of the sea defences.

Apologies for the terrible pun, but Do You Realize ... someone had to use it.