Had a couple of visits down to the River Kent over the last week, trying out a couple of different areas.
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First up a Blackbird on what I thought a rather attractive perch as I walked through the fields adjacent the river.
And while we are on attractive perches this rock isn't bad either, so a Grey Wagtail dropping in on it was very much welcome.
Grey Wagtail were one of the birds I was after, and more of them later (oops spoiler...) but I just won't ever say no to a Dipper.
As I moved through a small wooded section above the river bank an arboreal Grey Wagtail caught my attention, I was quite surprised how much time they spent in the trees.
Followed by another Grey Wagtail in a more traditional setting.
A common Sandpiper dropped in as I came down towards a beach on the river. Another minute later and I'd have been settled down and in position, but as I sat down quietly where I was it didn't seem overly concerned by my presence, feeding as it worked its along the bank.
Settled into this area now I had an excellent Dipper encounter, with a juvenile and then an adult coming in to join it.
It would appear the juvenile is capable of hunting for itself though.
A couple of birds that aren't maybe so typically associated with a river bank were a Robin which regularly dropped down from the nearby trees - mostly to drink I thought although with food here.
And an extraordinary chaffinch which not only behaved just like a Wagtail, working the river bank for insects, but actively sought my company as I tried out different parts of the river bank, often coming too close to photograph, sometimes as close as within 12". I've known Chaffinch to be confiding at a picnic site or perhaps an outdoor cafe, but there was no such thing here, and this bird actively came to me rather than simply tolerating my presence.
Back to the more usual fare with some more Wagtails, both Pied & Grey.
And one more of the Dipper family to finish with.
