All Quiet on Axe Cliff

I thought I'd try Axe Cliff again this morning after Steve saw a lovely Whinchat up there yesterday. I had no such luck, apart from a steady trickle of House Martins, Swallows and Meadow Pipits over, I saw very little. Still, I managed to get a couple of photos of the latter when a few landed on the fence line for a while although they were a bit flighty and I couldn't get very close. I was also lucky enough to capture some of the action as a passing Buzzard got mobbed by a couple of Carrion Crows.

Not from Axe Cliff but from the banks of the River Coly comes this photo which I took a couple of days ago. I spotted this Long-tailed Tit thrashing the life out of some poor unfortunate caterpillar on a branch of an alder tree. The bizarrely shaped green and brown caterpillar is most probably an Alder Kitten larva, or should that be was! I don't know how the bird managed to swallow it.

Update: I've been informed that the caterpillar is in fact that of the Iron Prominent Moth. I'll have to go and brush up on my ID skills where distant squashed caterpillars are concerned! ;-) Thanks Peter and Co.

Grey Wagtail

Walked for what felt like miles along the River Coly today but saw very little. It was nice to get a few shots of a Grey Wagtail though, I've always found them really difficult to photograph but with the new camera ... they still are!! I think it's the lack of contrast in the plumage and their preference for shady spots too I suppose. Still these are still the best shots I've ever got by miles.

Oh So Quiet

It's gone very quiet on patch this week with wader numbers really dropping off on Black Hole Marsh and very little to be seen on Beer Head or Axe Cliff. Still, minor excitement today when Phil found a Curlew Sandpiper at Black Hole Marsh late morning. I was just leaving the house to go up Axe Cliff when I got the text so went down to see it first. It was a lovely juvenile but always stayed way to distant for decent photos. I had a stab at digiscoping it though, which turned out a bit on the naff side but could have been much worse I suppose.

It may have come nearer if I'd waited around a bit longer but I had to leave as the hide began to rapidly fill up with pushchairs and toddlers and resemble a preschool playgroup! So off to Axe Cliff it was then, to see... Well, when I say the stand out highlight was identifying a new plant you'll get the idea. The  plant was this.

Blue Fleabane.

 Again probably one of those I've seen many times and just haven't noticed.