Wet my Lips

There have been no reports of Quail from the traditional sites around York yet this year so when Pete Watson reported one from a field just Northwest of Poppleton and Mark had it singing this morning I thought I'd go down this evening and (see) or hear it, I took the camera along not really expecting to use it and headed for the area Mark had heard it this morning, there were quite a few Skylarks and Yellow Wagtails about but no Quail singing at first then after about 5 mins it piped up from the middle of a cereal crop, it seemed fairly static for quite a while but then started moving left towards some Tractor ruts I had envisaged it showing along, I positioned myself and the calls got nearer and nearer to the ruts, I watched and waited then all of a sudden it called from further back and further left, I couldn't believe it, it had sneaked past, however it was now calling from close to the edge of the crop where it merged into a scrubby weedy area popular with the Yellow Wags, I walked up the edge of the field a bit and the singing was actually coming from the scrubby area, I now knew there was a good chance of seeing this bird and I scanned and scanned where it seemed to be singing from then I thought whenever I've seen birds fly up before its always been from further away than I thought they'd be, I started scanning further back and there it was, singing from a patch of dead grass, I rattled a few shots off (always pays to carry your camera around) then stalked a bit closer, I ended up getting quite close although the light was dire, still I'm not complaining I'm absolutely chuffed at getting such good views as well as a few record shots of a bird you normally only hear.

Ah there you are

Singing his head off

seems to be some feather damage, maybe had a close call with something

a few of these around too