coastal failures

its been one of those autumns where everything I seem to see is fleeting or elusive or both - haven't taken a decent image for weeks - on paper days like yesterday look OK; Olive-backed Pipit seen well by two of the crew but for me just a calling fly over, Pallas's warbler seen for less than minute at dusk, Dusky Warbler one calling and a couple of days previous calling and brief flight view, Yellow-browed Warbler just a few seconds view, Firecrest looking up into the canopy, Siberian Chiffchaff wrong side of the river,  but the Redstart, tired Redwing and 5 Crossbills showed well and a Woodcock landed briefly in an awkward pose on the track -- luck must change soon and still finding nothing - that Bluetail must be just around the corner!  also a juvenile Peregrine from earlier in the week 

Firecrest Far Ings

almost went for the chainsaw trying to get this hyperactive gem between the myriad of hawthorn twigs and branches -- every one a cracker and singing almost constantly as well -- 5D3, 400 DO2 and 1.4x

Firecrests

photographically a most testing day at Pyes today; the Yellow-browed was impossible, the Firecrests particularly invisible in the hawthorns and sycamores and the Red-breasted Flycatcher am magician at disappearing behind any available elder twig / branch

more Firecrest on the patch

upper two shots Andy's bird from yesterday and the rest the bird I came across in a different area this afternoon; I am convinced they are different birds, both singing males, but today;s bird had much more buff colour on the chin and throat and a less white super BUT the main thing that struck me was its unusual song addition -- on about 50% of the occasions when it sang it preceded the song trill with a very distinct tseeeuuu note that it sometimes also added to the end of the song; I have never heard this before from a Firecrest but it was usually associated with the raised crest ( no playback going on) and suggested aggression but there were no other Firecrests about that I could ascertain although there was a singing Chiffchaff nearby

Firecrest

proved to be very difficult to get in the lens as usual but paused briefly in the hedge albeit against a white sky with little light -- am I becoming  alight obsessive?