May 21, 2009

Just sitting around

I spent 45 mins today sitting around the carpark at Rerwick and what a delight it was. As soon as I pulled up and took of my crash helmet the sun warmed air was alive with bird song. Just removing the riding gear the sights sounds and smells of a late spring morning are intoxicating. Life is everywhere, its overwhelming and I am engulfed in the embrace of the fragrant warm air that’s welcomed with the pleasure of meeting a lost friend.
Three or four Skylarks are calling along with a couple of Meadow pipits. The view to the shore takes in rough grazing with some wet ground. Mercifully there are no animals on here at the moment so consequently every thing that can has taken advantage of the space to breed. Across the fields Curlew stalk about probing for food. Lapwings are doing the same with some sitting on nests. Birds are coming and going with beaks full of food for hungry chicks and every few meters seemed to host a Mippits nest. Oystercatchers were sitting on high spots watching over things whilst occasional males would be displaying to oneanother with some head down piping and marching around. A scan along the fence posts shows up proud parents that will be over seeing their young broods with a couple of Redshank and Oystercatchers looking like good diligent sorts of parents. Above Lapwing tumble about calling and Curlew sing their bubbling song as they display their prowess in controlled hovering drifts to the ground. There was a wren singing very close and when it moved of the lack of song let through the sound of a Snipe chipping away. Sure enough I managed to find it on a post looking stunning in the light. It was to be a short view though as it jumped up out of view, pulling back from the scope I see a Sparrow hawk heading along the shoreline with an accompaniment of raucous sounding Swallows that have come out of the area around the WW2 gun emplacements. Within moments of the Sparrowhawk moving away a snipe took to the air above me and began to put on a nice display of drumming. I passed a nice couple of minutes watching him climb, dip and dive. I think this is one of the most beautiful and gently haunting sounds of the birding summer. The second raptor of this brief watch appeared now with a ringtailed Harrier ignoring as best as she could the mobbing received whilst she moved at ground level hunting out another meal. It was a strait pass and she disappeared along the shore line and out of sight.
Even though the fields around me were full of noise and song I could hear the constant calls of Arctic Terns from the shore calling me forward with their remorseless discordant mantra. Following the track to where the shore below becomes just visible I find a Tern sitting on a post. I stand still to se if it’s going to move. It seems steady enough so I put the scope on it and offer up the camera and take a snap, next thing I ken its started calling and another bird appears and passes her a fish…cool as..i make myself comfortable and manage to miss four food passes with the camera before the bird takes to the air. The stranded weed has more of interest with a summer plumed Turnstone showing well. Even though there is a good enough view to the eye the shimmer of heat in the air is making taking pictures in to a bit of a miss today.
Beyond me a stony shore line that is home to a pair of agitated Ringed Plovers leads in a curve towards a bird covered rocky point. This has a seal hauled well out of the water surrounded by a dozen or more Shags all glowing a rich dark green. I am just having a look through them and Its at this point that the Hen Harrier makes its reappearance passing directly over the point. This time all hell is let loose as hundreds of Arctic Terns take to the air and promptly set about the raptor en mass. The poor bird twists and turns heading out over the sea towards Shapinsay as the Terns relentlessly attack it hitting it over and over again. Its quite a display. With the Harrier disappearing in the distance they return to settle down again all be it a little raucously. The Shags have moved off to form up in a couple of rafts just off shore and the rocks are left to the Blackbacks, Eider ducks and constantly flitting Rock Pipits.
I wend my way back. I have barely scraped at the surface during my 45 mins waiting around for my no show walking customers and now I need to get on and do other things, shame realy I was looking forward to doing that walk and getting immersed in another two or three of hours of this before the rains come. Never mind tomorrow is another day.

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