Wheatears on the way back

Aye, well, ho hum... time the most valuable commodity we have has been passing me by without much to report. I have found myself on the 'promenade' at Preesall, at least I think it's Preesall, just east of Knott End and before Cocker's Dyke;  there have been a few Grey Plover on the foreshore and a number of Wheatears on the sea defence wall. It's amazing how easy it is to miss them. I've included a couple of images that, I hope demonstrate this ability to disappear into the background – you may want to look twice at a couple of the images. Catching two together in one image, is for me, unusual.

I like Wheatears and if you can be bothered I came across a very obliging individual above Tower Lodge in the Trough earlier in the year, I enjoyed the experience no end. I enjoyed this latest brief encounter (Celia Johnson wasn't around) and watching Wheatear behaviour, often fying ten feet or so so, always perching on a vantage point, the flash of a white rump, the interception of an unfortunate flying too close... backwards and forwards, often working the same patch of ground... but unusually this time, I couldn't get very close before they were off.

A late call at Newton Marsh and I spotted a flock of geese approaching from the eastern horizon, so far off I was able to park the car, get out and blend into the background as they approached. It turned out to be our old friends, 19 Greylags who flew directly overhead and disappeared over the western horizon. I've only included the image as I like the way the setting sun caught the underneath of their wings... a skein of geese taking a few minutes to fly overhead... a sign of times to come? Pinkfoot!

And perhaps finally, a Tortoiseshell. I think I'd mentioned in a previous post a lot of nice looking ones about and this picture, exactly as taken demonstrates that. Shame about 'the straw', bottom left and I may have to double-check the camera settings... I can't get over the colour saturation, but exactly as taken. Perhaps more on that later.