A short while later I was staring down the muzzle of a loaded badger; primed and ready to strike. We faced each other. The tension was palpable. Gingerly, it reached forwards, snuffed delicately at my ankles, then turned and ran like hell. The danger passed, I heaved a sigh of relief and began my survey.
The badger, on it's approach run...
and again, just prior to ankle-sniffing activityAnything after that would be an anticlimax, but having confirmed the presence of at least two and perhaps three pairs of Lapwing on site, and the wholly scientific 'shedload' of Yellow Wagtails (a bit more than a fair number, but fewer than a whack), we left with pleasure to explore the marvels of Shapwick Heath, part of the Avalon Marshes project. The weather was better than forecast, and the birds were carolling their usual abuse at each other; we rapidly picked off a selection of migrants, including some very smart Garden Warblers. The dragonflies were also emerging: Four-spotted Chaser, Hairy Hawker (not a street trader, though it should be), Large Red, Blue-tailed, Azure and Variable Damselfly, and Banded Demoiselle all on show, and in the background, the introduced green frogs - whatever they are, be it pool, edible or marsh frog - were doing their level best to deafen us. The show belonged to the Hobbies, however. Everywhere we looked, there was a Hobby. And another. Another beyond that... and so on - we finally cracked when we looked up and saw a flock of 39 Hobby hawking for insects above our heads, with another 6-10 easily visible in a quick scan of the surrounding countryside - it just couldn't get any better than that...
Yellow Wagtail. A male. Just part of the consignment.
Shapwick Heath. It's Hobbytastic.Finally, Otters. Shapwick is now well known as a site to see otters, so there's reference aplenty to otter-watching in the logbooks in the hides. This, however, deserves special mention...:
Oh yes...
Top notch, whoever you are...!
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