On Friday I was birding on foot for five hours and six miles, not something I ever relish doing whilst carrying half a ton of optics and often don't do as was the case on Friday, but not for the first time I paid the price for not having my telescope with me and....'going out without my pants on'.
Having walked the length from Lancaster to Conder Green I arrived at Conder Pool to find four birders already on the viewing platform. On joining them one soon asked another what he thought about the bird in his 'scope which he'd found some distance off on the marsh below the large house 'River Winds'.
The situation soon became a little excited and thoughts of what had been found began to be thrown around. Meanwhile I'm there without the necessary equipment needed to get to grips with the bird, though of course I was kindly invited to take a look by both the other birders with telescopes but never had the time to study in a way essential to positively ID what I was looking at. I call this being 'frustrated to hell' and to make matters worse, about ten minutes later and with no other options I quietly departed.
Water Pipit. Copy Permitted.
Later at my computer whilst doing my daily check of the various websites I found a summer plumage Water Pipit had been reported at Conder Green, and subsequently again on Saturday. I congratulate the birder who first found this bird and recognised it as 'something different' and to those who in due course secured the ID.
As a consequence of the report of this bird at Conder Green, the bird has also found its way into my records based on what I could make of it in the few minutes I was looking through someone else's telescope and the subsequent ID by others. The most striking feature if this distant bird - in the short time I looked at it through a telescope - was the supercilium which is variable - with some individuals less endowed than others - but can sometimes extend from the bill, over the eyes, and tapers towards the nape, though at the distance and in the circumstances at Conder Green on Friday this wouldn't have been easy to achieve, another feature I got to grips with was the suggestion of the summer plumage pale pink flush.
As a consequence of the report of this bird at Conder Green, the bird has also found its way into my records based on what I could make of it in the few minutes I was looking through someone else's telescope and the subsequent ID by others. The most striking feature if this distant bird - in the short time I looked at it through a telescope - was the supercilium which is variable - with some individuals less endowed than others - but can sometimes extend from the bill, over the eyes, and tapers towards the nape, though at the distance and in the circumstances at Conder Green on Friday this wouldn't have been easy to achieve, another feature I got to grips with was the suggestion of the summer plumage pale pink flush.
I really would have liked very much to have had 'good views' of this brilliant bird, but what I did see of it - and the subsequent report - qualifies my little black book to read....Water Pipit, Conder Green, Friday 12 April 2013.
I'D SOONER BE BIRDING....with luck tomorrow Monday.
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