Lately, my birding has fallen by the wayside, and I just can’t seem to muster the enthusiasm to get out chasing and searching for birds to boost my list. I’m not entirely sure why, but I think it’s a combination of things—this extremely hot and sunny weather doesn’t help, especially after spending all day in a factory where temperatures reach 32–33 degrees. I sometimes think back to when my nephew was in Afghanistan, dealing with heat closer to 54 degrees while wearing full body armor, and I tell myself to just get on with it. I’ve also just completed Fire Marshal Training, and now when I look around the engineering workshop, I see potential fire hazards everywhere that we used to take for granted. Writing my first report felt a bit overwhelming. Anyway, enough of my moaning—time to get back to the birds and other interesting encounters.
27th June.
I decided to make one more trip to Weymouth in hopes of spotting the Bittern. The day was bright and sunny with a clear blue sky, and I positioned myself overlooking the reeds. I spent most of the day there, seeing only a couple of Marsh Harriers and a Common Tern. It became a frustrating day as people kept asking what I was watching or photographing which I usually don’t mind until someone shouted, “Did you see the Bittern fly over the reeds?” “No,” I replied. Later, another person asked if I had seen the White-tailed Eagle; again, I said no, only for them to casually mention it was spotted last week. Just then, another shout came “Bittern coming back across the tops of the reeds!” I turned around but missed it again. A lady nearby told someone on a bike that it was the second time I had missed the bird because someone had stopped to talk. From that moment on, I focused solely on the large reed bed. After many hours of watching, I finally saw the Bittern rise and fly very low over the tops of the reeds.
One Friday 10th July afternoon after work, I set out to see some Helleborines I’d been told about, not far from where I worked. Having never seen Broad-leaved Helleborines before, I just had to go, even though it was the brightest and hottest part of the day at 1:30 p.m. With my camera checked and packed, I finished my shift and headed out on the short journey. Parking along the single-track lane proved tricky, but after passing the spots and looping back, a car left just in time for me to pull in. I walked down the road to the entrance gate, grateful to leave the blazing orange sun in the blue sky behind as I stepped into the shade of the woodland glade. Following the path, I soon spotted my first plant, and a little further on, found more of these lovely Helleborines. I expected them to be taller, but they were beautiful nonetheless. That day I also discovered another new plant for me: a delicate little one called the Enchanter’s Nightshade.
