View Single Post

  #1631 (permalink)  
Old 19-03-2008, 11:15 PM
pressld2's Avatar
pressld2 pressld2 is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Belvedere, Kent
Posts: 10,018
Re: Bird of the day!

A very hard-working wren, to whom I owe an apology!

I visited the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve for the first time today and as I was approaching one of the hides I saw a wren with a beak full of moss. I stopped to watch and he was constantly flitting back and forth with this moss, obviously nest-building, but I couldn't see where he was taking it. As he was regularly pausing on the same few branches I decided to try for a photo. So I got everything prepared, tripod set to the right height etc., then threw my camo net over everything and carefully moved into what I thought would be a good position. Then I waited. And waited. Then I waited some more.

After just over an hour I was frozen to the core, had cramp in both feet and pins and needles in both legs and hadn't seen hide nor feather of him. So I gave up and went into the hide to eat my lunch and rub some life back into my legs. When I stepped out of the hide about 20 mins later there he was again, only this time I could see where he was taking all that moss. Hidden under some leaves there was a hole in the mud bank about a foot to the left of where I had set up my tripod!

So I had another go and this time the freezing, the cramp and the pins and needles were all worth it!



Here he is just about to exit the nest hole - you can just make out his head under the leaf...



Dave P.
__________________
(a.k.a. "Horizontal Dave")

"A good man is hard to find, especially if he's hiding. In a field. With combat fatigues and a false beard." - Wilson Dixon
Reply With Quote