Sad news about the Shag featured in my last post, as is usually the case with lost/misplaced birds...those that have strayed away from their usual habitat, it's been reported over the weekend that this bird has sadly been found dead.
Not the best outcome, but nature doesn't always work in the most pleasing of ways I guess?
I went out yesterday to a local lake to see if I could find the Shag that has been reported seen there over the last few days.
I spent some time scanning back and forth across the lake with my scope without any success until I heard someone calling from behind me, when I turned around a couple of fellow birders were pointing to a lone bird proudly sitting on a jetty not more than a hundred yards in the opposite direction to which I had been looking!(it wasn't there earlier..'onest!)..... a classic case of 'it's behind you'!
I spent the next 45 minutes or so watching and photographing a largely dozing and motionless bird. It did, from time to time, stir enough to provide a few different photo opportunities....
....in the vernacular of the (much) younger generation it 'pulled a few shapes'. (I think?)
Chillin'
Eyeballing
Contemplating..(I bet you can't guess what happened next?)
Amused...(laughing at the silly bu...r who's been standing in the cold wind taking (rubbish) photographs for the best part of the last hour!)
Despite the cold wind it was good to get out and see it, and to notch up a new 'life tick' into the bargain.
*Just in case you were wondering about the rings on it's legs?...according to them that know, it was rung on the Farne Islands last summer.
