Bruno and I went back to West Stourmouth for today's exertions. The main reason was for me to search a wider area for the presence of Willow Emerald Damselflies which, as it turned out, was a total waste of effort due to the brisk easterly and overcast conditions. Despite my failure on the odonata front, it remains a lovely part of East Kent to be able to wander around. I'd parked by the church and walked the track down to the pumping station before following the river inland towards the "Blue Bridge". We hadn't walked for a quarter of a mile before the protests of a Grey Heron alerted me to te presence of three White Storks moving eastwards over the village. Whatever the reason, they obviously didn't like what they saw out on the Ash Levels/Minster Marshes and, instead, drifted back westwards over the Preston Marshes where they were lost from view. Fortunately, the recent Purple Heron encounter had ensured that the correct kit was being carried and, although distant and not particularly brilliant light conditions, I was able to rattle off a series of shots which enable me to share the experience via the blog. As always, I am truly grateful for the 32.5 million pixels of my EOS 90D which allow fairly significant cropping without major quality loss.
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| Two fully winged birds drifting back off to the west |
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| The trio as first spotted. The bird on the left has very heavy feather loss on the right wing. |
Not too much else to report. A few flurries of hirundines skimmed over the marsh, but I could only id Swallow and Sand Martin from these fleeting encounters. A couple of Yellowhammers always enrich any time spent outdoors. Odd Common Buzzard and a few Kestrels about sums the morning up, yet those three Storks - plastic as they probably are - certainly ensured I drove back to Dumpton with a smile on my face.
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| The best image from this morning and testament, if it's needed, to the incredible technology housed with the Canon EOS 90D. |
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