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19C Monday 16th October 2017 ~ With Storm Ophelia blowing in I thought that a couple of hours spent at Brandon Marsh might pay dividends! However, I wasn't quite prepared for what greeted me. Not since my Brandon visit of March 2015 to watch the spring equinox eclipse have I encountered such strange and bizarre conditions!
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| Brandon Marsh today! |
Skies took on unusual glow as Storm Ophelia picked up sands from the Sahara and particles from fires in Spain and Portugal, which may have appeared to some as a sign of an impending apocalypse. Apparently the dust has caused shorter wavelength blue light to be scattered, making it appear red. Ophelia originated in the Azores, where it was a hurricane and as it tracked its way northwards it dragged in tropical air from the Sahara producing todays phenomenon!
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| Little Gull ~ Taken in the strange saharan light! |
The best from a birding perspective consisted firstly of a
Little Gull, which graced East Marsh Pool on several occasions before finally departing. A huge count of
Black-headed Gulls circa 500, but alas during my stay not offering anything too unusual,
Common Gull and
Lesser Black-backed Gulls the only other species. A
Water Rail made a dash from left to right in front of the hide and I managed a count of (75)
Wigeon before a
Sparrowhawk scattered all asunder, so I gave up on that one!
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| Little Gull ~ East Marsh hide |
From the Ted Jury hide a couple of small flocks of
Redwing, plus (4)
Redpoll and as I departed the hide calls of
Brambling alerted me to (5) birds passing overhead. A single
Snipe and
Green Sandpiper the only other notables from the most weirdest of visits!
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| Little Owl at Shuckburgh! |
Subnote: Yesterday Dee and I enjoyed a local stroll around the canal and Shuckburgh area, encountering one of the local
Little Owls, which I managed a few images of after playing hide & seek for an enjoyable 1/2 hour!
Few more Little Gull images from today!
