Turnstone and bits...

Back in the middle of November, the 17th to be exact I crossed the Fylde to Knott End, starting off bright enough but then on what yet again was a dismal day with low light and hence low apertures and speed. I called at the jetty at Knott End and was repaid with half a dozen Turnstones knocking about – but you know Turnstones always on the move, bobbing and weaving, dipping and diving... and with slow shutter speeds I could not 'stop' them – hence the blurred images, yet I managed to get a focus on them somewhere. And strangely they were foraging on the sloping sea wall and one popped up onto the top of the sea wall and with the building-site hoarding in the background provided an unusual blue backdrop. Otherwise disappointingly quiet.

A skein of Pink Footed Geese passed overhead, which they tend not to do if they can help it and on Pilling Lane I spotted a buzzard hiding in the roadside hedgerow. Nothing too unusual in that but if you look carefully there is a blue tag on the right shoulder. I managed to slow down and get off the road to rattle a few shots off through the windscreen but passing traffic soon had it off and away.

I called at Bradshaw Lane feeding station but it was very quiet as I drew up, so checking the camera settings I looked up to see a pheasant making a dash for the hedge while a raptor flashed in, up and away before I knew what had happened – again having camera in hand I rattled off some photos, as you can see somewhat blurred but one I thought captured the speed of the attack and about as much as I saw, while the other identified the culprit – a Kestrel. I was a little surprised as I hadn't realised Kestrel employ ambushing tactics like Sparrowhawks – you learn something new every day!

And finally I had to stop at Carr House Green Common to catch the setting sun. It was also the same day, I think, then again maybe not, that I had clocked all the Starlings on the moss, as seen in an earlier post... I'm still trying to catch up and brain dead!