I haven't travelled too far from Meath, Dublin and Louth this last couple of months, I haven't been further south than Wicklow since October! I've enjoyed keeping it local and Sunday was no different. I left the scope at home and headed off on foot up towards Ashbourne golf club, across the river and up towards the rugby club. To those who had the pleasure of the shorteared owls that hung around for a month or five weeks in April '09 you'll know the general area.
Ashbourne isn't exactly blessed with water rail real estate. There are some areas which I've always thought suitable but have never had the good fortune or the time to spend waiting on this quite shy bird to show itself. I got lucky on Sunday. I was actually down on the bridge outside the entrance to the golf club looking out for the local kingfishers when a movement to my left hand side caught my attention. At first I presumed I'd disturbed a moorehen, always a good bet from the bridge. However I couldn't see anything at all, whatever was there it was keeping itself well out of view.
What the naked eye couldn't see the optics usually can. I scanned the area with the binoculars and it didn't take long before I was eyes on a tiny little shape buried deep in the overgrown embankment. It was a first I'd ever had in Ashbourne. At best of times these are very secretive creatures, never moving too far from deep cover, although I know from previous sightings they are so much easier to locate in winter.
I was so pleased with the find that I actually forgot I had a camera with me, when I remembered the race was on the get in out of its bag and snap the water rail before it went too deep undercover and disappeared. I did manage to get off five or six shots but to be honest most weren't even in focus, the one shot I've published really is the best of a very bad bunch, however it's a record shot and that'll do me!
 |
| possibly the worst photo published anywhere on the Internet in 2012 |
No comments:
Post a Comment