SHEEPWASH.

12/07/11

A nip over to Sheepwash urban park was needed, i never expect to see much when i visit here, but today, a single bird shon above the rest!

I had just walked through the main enterance on Sheepwash lane and was walking past a meadow type field with long grasses and scattered wildflowers.

I was just thinking that the habitat looked quite good for a passing Chat, However what happened next was totally unexpected,

I saw a Passerine sitting atop a yellow wildflower head quite close to the path, I cant explain it but when you get that feeling you have got something good before even raising your bins.

and a good bird it was:

A gorgeous WHINCHAT!!

And not only that a stunningly plumaged male Whinchat, in practically all its spring splendor!!

I was treated to Amazing views of this amazing bird at about 30-40ft range.

You have to remember, Sheepwash is an overgrown puddle in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a ferantic city, and to attract a common bird is hard work at a site like this sometimes.

I hadent got my scope with me, and if i had i would have been parading some decent photo's/videos here, but i had to try and digibin some photo's, and it didnt work, i couldnt pick up the bird at all holding my bins in one hand and my camera in the other to the lens.

Only when the bird flew to a tree about 100m off could i locate where it was sitting, but this was out of the range.

If you look at the photo you can just about see the white tail sides and white supercillium, and also note the stance.

I was treated to great views for around 40 mins from the main track as it went about feeding up, the bird then dissapeared ( i looked away to watch a Stock Dove fly past when it must have flow off) and wasent seen again all day.

To be fair, the rest of the walk was extremly quiet, 11 Common Tern were hawking over the pool, 2 Sum plum Little grebe had a fledged chick, and 2 Garden Warbler were found in a nettle bed.

so i took the opp for some Insects:

Gatekeeper: easilly the most common Butterfly today 15c of them.

Common Blue Damselfly

And thats it for another day at sheepwash

MB