Saturday 14 March 2009

Blackpool - Stanley Park on Fire!!

My alpine plant activities took me to Blackpool for a national show. I'm normally tied up all day officiating etc but I had an hour or two to spare in the morning!

I knew a Firecrest had been shoing well in Stanley Park, so fed this into the Satnav - only 1.2 miles away!!! I was off......

A flighty unpredictable little so and so, quite a few folk have dipped and whilst getting my eye in, I had an confiding Goldcrest to entertain me.










After ten minutes or so, a brief glimpse of the main objective however, approx 50m down the track from the bridge access. Even managed a record shot as it briefly showed on the side of a small tree, hopped onto a branch and then off it flew......








After ten minutes or so, it clearly wasn't returning so I went on a Firecrest hunt. I don't know why I picked the spot I did (another 50m along the track) but I'm so glad I did, as it showed again briefly less than 10m in front of me before diving into the undergrowth where it proceeded to perch and preen.....










Eventually it flew out and I got about five seconds of just about the best view of Firecrest you could ever get!






1/400 of a sec is all you need - my only shot of the bird in the open!!!






Lucky Jim is still on a roll...

Now then, with a trip to Devon looming later in the week - wonder if that Penduline Tit will oblige this time???