Easily pleased, that's me. So imagine my delight to spot a bird I'd never seen before on the river through town. On checking my Collins Book of British Birds, it turns out it was a female red-breasted merganser (the brown one in this photo). I wish I'd know it was a female (though I should've guessed), I'd have hung around to see her other-half. Anyway, I wouldn't normally share this on the blog, but I sent the news to a couple of friends, one, the Diplo who has featured irregularly on the Sideburn blog, replied with this that I did have to share.'Yes - a harbinger of spring, along with the mini skirt, the bared midriff, the opaque but dangerously flimsy skirt, a nicely turned ankle and the promise of a picnic in dappled shade and long grass - marvelous ... carry on.'
Spring has sprung. G
PS Don't worry, normal Sideburn blog service will resume very soon.
getting side tracked by nature AND photograpy...well you're forgiven! Wonderful shot you were able to grab. I enjoy when people shot photography of the things of wonder they spot on their daily routes!
ReplyDeleteI agree on all counts for harbingers of spring. But a drake merganser viewed through binocs is a thing of beauty.
ReplyDeleteBird on.
Ah, Chessie, now I borrowed that shot to illustrate the critter. I didn't see the male, just the female. Thought it was a kind of grebe, we have lots of Greater Crested Grebes on the river.
ReplyDelete#39, I hoped you'd spot this one.
Bird on! is my new catchphrase.
G
On the Welland or the Coronation Channel?
ReplyDeleteIt's all Jackdaws down here at the moment.
Welland, near the Anchor pub (that was burnt down two weeks ago). Just seen two Great Crested Grebes doing the Fandango near The Poacher.
ReplyDeleteBird on! G
bird on indeed, nothing better than spring and autumn.
ReplyDeleteim hoping to get occupants in my new bat boxes this yr!.