STILL not Birdwatchers...

We made a repeat visit to RSPB Balranald on Sunday. We generally try to make the Sundays while we’re here fairly quiet days, without too much whizzing about – in part because it helps to keep at least some sort of grasp on where we are in the week, but also because the Islands generally keep Sundays as a quiet day, and we try to respect that.  We knew it was going to be a good day when one of the first birds we saw was a Corn Bunting – pretty rare across much of the country but still fairly common here thanks to the low intensity farming methods. He must have been happy anyway – he sat there quite cheerfully while I edged to within about 10 feet of him and then he helpfully sang for me…

Now if you aren’t  familiar with a Corn Bunting’s Choral efforts, just imagine someone jangling a bunch of keys about and you’re pretty much there – Aled Jones they are NOT! Once Mr Bunting had taken his bows and moved on, we wandered along the beach for a while. Word of the modelling session had obviously spread as this Dunlin was also happy to pose….

…No singing this time – he just stood there looking leggy and elegant.

Meanwhile, further along the beach, (just past the very chilly-looking twitchers standing waiting in hope that the Harlequin Duck was going to appear again) the award for “Mallards in the most implausible spot imagineable” was given out…

…not normally considered Sea-ducks, Mallards, but this pair looked fairly at home.  And elsewhere there were the usual big crowds of small waders – sociable little chaps like these Sanderling…

…they will look a lot more glamorous in a few weeks – they are currently mid-way through their change from their drab grey winter plumage into their beautiful Summer wardrobe – you can just see hints of their colour-palette of choice in the coppery, chestnut tones in the one on the right. One thing we’re noticing this year is that a lot of things are a way behind where they were at this time last year – that’s something you notice a lot as annual visitors – friends here joke that they know where they are in the seasons by when we arrive, but you do really notice each year how far on – or not – the usual springtime changes have come along. This year there are noticeably less varieties of flower, there is no chance that the Iris will be flowering before we leave, and we’ll be lucky to see any waterlilies out either. It’s not just the birds that are a little late changing over their clothes for the new season!

Robyn