Before I start today's entry I want to pay respect to my colleagues of the Royal Marine's Band who were murdered by the IRA on this day in 1989. This is always a very sad day on the anniversary of this very tragic event. It makes me a lesser person that there is no room for forgiveness in my heart when I think of their suffering and the lives that they didn't live. I have a guilt that is hard to live with knowing that I have enjoyed my life so much and they were robbed of theirs in such a cruel way. I hope that the people who supported the IRA can feel the guilt that they deserve.
It's good that I can post pictures of a really good bird today. Yesterday I went to Exmouth Beach, a good hunting ground this year. Two Sabine's Gull were feeding in the surf, what a lovely species this is. Delicate and dainty. They are smaller than Black headed Gulls and much more confiding, almost ignoring any human presence and approaching me continually as I photographed them. This is a species that breeds in the Arctic Tundra and spends the winter on the sea away from human habitation, therefore they don't normally come in to contact with people. Consequently they have no "flight" response to human beings. They were feeding on the surf-line on weed and anything else that they could grab. They were moving constantly which made getting good photos quite hard especially with the sun and surf glaring off the white of the bird. I really enjoyed seeing them and getting good photos was a bonus. I have been able to add another bird to my Dvon Bird Gallery. The other day I mentioned that it wouldn't be long before I saw another Grey Phalarope and so it proved with another one feeding with the Sabine's Gull. It had probably arrived with the gulls and seemed to favour their company.
........ and of course the Grey Phalarope.
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