Wizard of a bird

The second trip to Scillies this Autumn meant a bit of a rejigging of sailing days to beat Storm ‘Callum’. Boats and planes after our revised sailing were being cancelled. We made it before the bad weather hit … by half a day. While the sun was still out on our first evening we were treated to an absolute stunner of a bird. A Merlin sitting on a wall having just fed. It showed well. Probably better than any perched Merlin I’ve seen in half a century of watching birds.

The next day, long after the Merlin had left, the prey item was examined. I suspected it to be a Meadow Pipit. There were a lot about. How wrong could I have been. It was a Jack Snipe!

Sniper

The Isles of Scilly must be the best place in the country for photographing Jack Snipe. Taken on our tour there last week.

A Very Muddy Morning Out

Mud between your toes doesn’t feel all that good. One of us had already lost one pair of wellies and I was about to loose mine. Thankfully the marsh gave me both feet back intacto.

It wasn’t an easy search for the Jack Snipe. The problem was they sat so tight. I almost trod on one before it took flight. I’d been stood within inches of it for around 15 minutes. I couldn’t see it. These tiny waders are just the masters of camouflage. Photographing them was dependent on seeing them before they shot off like a feather bullet. After two hours stood in ankle deep water we gave up. My feelings were mixed. I was disappointed not to photograph one, elated to have seen them and full of marvel for a species that had well and truly beaten us … this time.

A walk back to the car was sprinkled with a few Siskin and a nice flock of Crossbill but somehow they didn’t make up for not seeing the Jack Snipe on the deck. I still felt cheated. The Bean Goose we saw later came close to recompense. It was only when watching this lone goose with its Pink footed mate I saw the Red Kite circling above me. Perhaps now the debt had been paid.