Psilos Bird Journal
Friday May 16th 2008
     
Grey wagtails - "We are family 2" (page 2)
 
In order to photograph them now I knew I was going to ger rather wet. Again I wanted to get right down on the water level. The river bed here is particualrly flat but it meant lying upon very saturated ground. I would just have to bite the bullet there was nothing else for it. A small price to pay for the kind of shots I wanted.
     

     
I really did not have to wait long and before I was even settled the birds appeared. They did not even bother to keep their distance and hunted for insects right under my nose coming so close I could no longer focus on them. Then the female did an amazing thing. She came and sat on a pebble not twelve feet from where I was lieing. She took her time preening and stretching, totally unhurried or unbothered by my presence. This was acceptance in its highest form. For a bird to do something so intimate when they are most vulnerbale with you so close is trust indeed and I felt truely priveledged.


 
 
The male was alittle less confiding. He took his bath a little further away and more to my frustration he did it behind a large pebble where I could not see him!
 
Down in the river there is a very real threat from predators. I had seen stoat, jays and magpies hunting really close by and it was always a worry. One threat though came form a very different source. One minute the birds were feeding and the next minute all chaos breaks loose. Onto the scene comes another male Grey wagtail and suddenly feathers are flying. A short fight ensues and before I barely even know what is happening he is driven off and calm is restored. In the photo below the male spots the other male for the first time.
 
 
Peace is once again restored and the male can go back to his grooming.
 
 
It was once again with a heavy heart that I had to leave. Tomorrow was the weekend and I knew that I could not spend so much time with them. I knew the site would also be very busy with dogwalkers and children as it is a very well favoured spot. How they would fair I did not know but I knew I would try to dedicate some time to watching them. The cries of the chicks was getting louder. I knew they would fledge any day and I so did not want to miss them.
 
Saturday and Sunday May 17-18th 2008
 
The weather has turned for the worst. It is very grey with light rain. Certainly not weather for photography. Both birds are still working hard and the chicks can clearly be heard calling in the nest. Now I can see movement through the vegetation. I think it is the wagging fotheir tails. They will be fledging very very soon. Sunday is incredibly busy. I keep a good distance and do not draw attention to the birds. Throughout the day as it quietens the birds manage to slip in and feed their babies. As of sunday late afternoon the young are still in the nest. I will return in the morning.