Common bird, quality garden tick!

Post date: Mar 09, 2010 4:19:25 PM

The morning pilgrimage down the lane had me scanning the bare fields for errant Woodlark or Stone Curlew, long shots I know but more predictable than what was to follow! Walking back, and just yards from the house, a sudden movement of white in the field, not far in from the lane had me puzzled. Raising the glasses, the old grey matter came up with a split second "404 error" message but then rebooted to confirm, there sitting in the field next to our house was a .....Great-crested Grebe!!!!! Bizarrely my first thought was why was it not Red-necked! Anyway, I walked out to the field, armed with a old towel and rescued it from its dilemma, although to be fair, apart from several attempts to spear my eyes out, it put up little resistance! Being a sentimental old sod I decided to forgo the opportunity to take copious amounts of up close once in a life time photos of a grebes iris, internal workings etc, and concentrated on trying to get it to some more suitable habitat. A quick drive to Gunton Park, shouting "don't you die on me now!" every time it dropped its head in the front passenger foot well, and the thing positively perked when it saw the open expanse of water. Releasing it on the waters edge, I half expected it to sink, but thankfully it paddle steamed through the weed and started prening and wing stretching, hopefully no worse for the experience. Almost a beautiful moment, just needed Kate Fumble and Chris Packet, some back ground music from Coldplay and I'ld a been blearing like a baby!!!

"This *$£*ing Tom Tom is useless!"