I was quite intrigued yesterday to see some 'courting" activity between a pair of Redshanks who won't be breeding here in Devon but probably on the continent. However, seeing them involved in this mating and pairing activity poses quite a few interesting questions, the answers to which will never be known. For example, was this two males in a territorial pre-breeding "spat"? Or, more likely is it a male trying to court and then mate with a female, this seems more likely to me, but if that is the case, will this pair go on to migrate together back to their breeding grounds or will they join up with seperate partners once they arrive, perhaps even in different countries hundreds of miles apart.
When I saw them chasing around yesterday I had tried to get close enough for a photograph and today I had another go after taking a screen/hide with me. I sat behind the screen and waited for not only the Redshank but also yesterday's Greenshank and Little Egret. The Greenshank did land quite close but it didn't like the look of this strange new structure near to it. The Little Egret was a lbit more interested in feeding and I did watch it and get photographs.Unfortunately though, when the Redshanks started to dance around they just didn't come close enough to me and they were never near enough to mefor what would have been a brilliant series of pictures. There is always tomorrow!
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