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Originally Posted by PMG  Finally! At last! I made my mind up I was actually going to stand on the public causeway in front of the grit trays until I had seen the 'beardies' ....... so we stood from 9.30am to 12.30pm and saw two pairs and a single male visit the trays and eat grit!!
After going back to the centre for a brew and a pit stop we moved to the far end and walked around to the Lower Hide. The weather was dull and unpromising whilst walking but once sat in the hide the sun came full out again - the light was brilliant!
Eventually someone to my left said 'its here' and not 30ft in front of me was a male beardie - it was deep in the reeds and I shot off a volley knowing full well that important parts of its anatomy like its eyes and beak were hidden by reeds ........ then as I watched and prayed it came up the reed stem and out into view and I let go with another volley! It was all over in less than a minute and as the female appeared behind him - they both flew right to left and weren't seen again ..........
The times I have sat in that hide and not even heard them never mind seen even a distant waft of one! I can only presume the breeding prog at LM for this species is doing well and there are more beardies to go around at the moment ...... take heed folks and visit as soon as you can before this apparent bonanza fizzles out        
Oh and PS the bittern had been seen in front of the hide in the morning and it flew out in the afternoon and across the lake - my shots of this are all blurred ........ towards dusk it appeared on the edge of the reeds of the opposite island and walked about and fished - you could tell what it was thro binocs and I'm always chuffed to even see one at a distance ....... but wouldn't it have been a red letter day if it had walked in front of the hide too ....... dreaming Pauline - you're always dreaming!!
Pauline |
All great shots pauline but i love the last one with its mate back stage so to speak just coming into view
regards mark.......
