When I was around 9 years of age I used to go birdwatching with two pals in my class. We went to Llangranog, a Welsh language and activity center, on a school trip. During one of the walks, one of my friends shouted Wryneck pointing to a bird flying off into the distance. Both claimed to have positively identified it and cajoled me into agreeing, although I did have my doubts. Later they admitted that it was a planned trap to belittle my birding skills.
Since then the Wryneck has been the bird that I have most liked to see, but have dipped on 3 occasions, and it has come to haunt me. Incidentally, one of the jokers was best man at my wedding (and vice versa). So, when a Wryneck was reported in Bucks and showing well I set of to the Chilterns. There was only one birder present at the top of Bacombe Hill when I arrived and he said the Wryneck had just flown into some nearby bushes. Stood in the rain for 2 hours, scanning the bushes and ant hills for a sign when it was located sitting in a tree. It soon flew to the ground to feed and I got to within 5 meters, although the bird actually came even closer.
Since then the Wryneck has been the bird that I have most liked to see, but have dipped on 3 occasions, and it has come to haunt me. Incidentally, one of the jokers was best man at my wedding (and vice versa). So, when a Wryneck was reported in Bucks and showing well I set of to the Chilterns. There was only one birder present at the top of Bacombe Hill when I arrived and he said the Wryneck had just flown into some nearby bushes. Stood in the rain for 2 hours, scanning the bushes and ant hills for a sign when it was located sitting in a tree. It soon flew to the ground to feed and I got to within 5 meters, although the bird actually came even closer.
Wryneck at Bacombe Hill, Chilterns, Bucks
Looks a bit like a wren in this shot
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment