The weather was grim this morning so I took the opportunity to train and then the plan was to spent the latter part of the morning and afternoon on the farm. Showers were forecast therefore there was plenty of opportunity for something to drop in!
I did my rounds and then trudged my way like a pack-horse to “The hide” where I would spend a good few blustery hours watching the ridge. Early afternoon Andy drove by in the tractor with the rotovator attached to the back. He turned two strips at the bottom end of the fields behind me (plus other fields!). My immediate thoughts were Wheatear and I adjusted the plan to cover these areas before I went home.
I subsequently learnt the reason for the strips was to prevent the liquid fertilizer from washing away with the rain. Now I don’t know when the Wheatear both male pitched up but I made a real hash of my first effort dropping my camera as I attempted to photograph a bird that had frozen a few feet away from me. The clunk flushed the bird to the top of the hill and from then onwards it was a game of patience waiting for the bird to return to the area!
In between times there was a monsoon like downpour which had me backed into a hay bale at the barn in an effort to keep dry! Enter stage left bird number 2. There was a short conflict between the two and then both kept their distance from each other feeding on the same strip.
These were my first Wheatear on the farm and two seconds flap nearly cost me my camera! I am relieved to say the sun visor attachment took the brunt of the contact with the ground and the body and lens seem ok!
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