Birding Braunie

The last few weeks have been manic at work mainly due to one particular client and getting any 'before work' birding has been near impossible and very frustrating. This morning I did manage to get an hour at one of my favourite work patches, namely South Fambridge. I was hoping to see my first autumn arrivals like Whinchat or maybe a Black Tern along the estuary or something. Things were pretty quiet but I was glad for the peace and tranquility this site brings. A few Reed Warblers were still croaking out splutterings of notes but rather half-heartedly now. The shoreline had a few piping Curlew and Redshank while in the distance three Black-tailed Godwits probed and prodded the mud for breakfast. The skies were overcast but the air was warm and scented with wildflower and nothing really mattered. I walked high along the seawall path and any movement in the sky was largely due to Woodpigeons. A few of these pigeons came down on a recently harvested corn? field. A much larg

Dotterel, circa 1999 Okay, it doesn’t look anything like Sir Peter Scott but you know what I mean. At my age it’s easy to forget what I did yesterday let alone 13 years ago. This watercolour resides in my mum’s dining room and although she is a keen collector of my masterpieces – like only a mum could be, I always forget about this one. Not sure why I painted a Dotterel. It’s a smart bird with the female bucking the trend and being more striking or at least slightly more striking than the male. Rubbish plumage observation and as for the legs, less said the better.