They Come Over Here, Steal All Our Insects

After aborting a trip to Fenn’s Moss due to a case of the Wrath of Grapes, I decided instead to head down to Inner Marsh Farm and remain stationary until my body was returned to its normal hale state.

You could have cut the humid air with a machete this afternoon and it would also have come in handy when hacking my way through the vegetation at either side of the path to the hide.

A Hobby hunting over the wood got the ball rolling, but it was not too long before I was on a Garganey hunt. It is a bit of challenge trying to pick them out this time of year and a great deal of patience and no little luck is required – two things I am not over-blessed with!

Despite my failings, I found two birds today, hunkered down with the Teal at the back of number two pool. Also on the hide pool was up to five Ruff and a sprinkling of Blackwits.

When the sun broke through the fug a few dragonflies took to the wing including my first migrant hawker of the year. The manoeuvrability of these insects is stunning; their ability to change direction – three dimensionally – in an instant is nothing short of incredible.

A fly-by Peregrine was next on the roll-call followed by a wing-tagged Buzzard. I was a little surprised and disappointed to see this and wondered what spurious, cod-scientific reasoning was offered to gain permission for this pointless exercise.

Hangover lifted, I meandered back to the car park and offered a little prayer to the wind gods: any chance of a decent north-westerly your holiness?

Until later.