As the last of the light was in the sky a flock of around thirty Golden Plover wheeled above what was a few days ago lake like, but now, totally devoid of standing water.
I watched, as they circled, dropped down but then rose up again, time and time again, without having reached a consensus on their roosting spot.
As they circled around toward me one more time, my first thought was that one of them was making a break for it, but then realised it was a much smaller body, much closer then I had thought. It was my first Bat sighting of the year.
It made its way across the bridle path toward the woods. My lack of knowledge of these creatures meant I am unable to confirm its identity. Must try to put that right.
Back at the cross roads, one more look south to see if there was any hunting bird activity. Nothing on the wing, but I could make out was a light grey shape on the most southerly fence line.
So on my way out of the area I stopped at the most southerly viewpoint and sure enough there was a ghostly Barn Owl sitting on a fencepost.
I watched for about five minutes but it seemed to have no inclination to fly so I left it to the night
5 comments:
Your artwork is wonderful - it's a skill I really envy.. sometimes simple drawings are more expressive than flashy photos
Thanks Phil,
Am trying to keep it simple
Dick
Identifying bats in flight isn't easy - and often its impossible to be honest. There are a few tips on my blog at
http://standandstare-nyctalus.blogspot.com/2009/06/bits-on-bats-2-pip-in-hand.html
Northumberland Bat Group do occasional bat walks for the public - might be worth checking that out. Try
http://www.northumberlandbats.org.uk/
Regards
Allan
Dick,
why bother to carry a camera, your sketches/drawings make the narration amazing.
Nyc.
Thanks for that lead, I'll give it a go.
John,
thanks for the comment,the sketch idea might to cover the times when my photo skills fail (often)
Dick
Post a Comment