Not complaining but I just don't seem to be in the right place at the right time at the moment.
September 11th I finally tracked down the Egyptian geese at North Cave Wetlands at the third visit. They'll be along in a moment. On my regular circuit of the reserve I spotted a black swan [a rather brown one] hiding amongst the greylag flock...
...and a green sandpiper.
...a mute swan and lapwings.
I liked this coffee-cream coloured highland cow.
Eventually I spotted two sleeping geese.
I realised there was enough detail showing to make me wait till they stirred. Bring on the Egyptian geese!
September 13th: trip to Redcar Tarn near Keighley to see a Franklin's gull. Good company but no bird for me although others saw it distantly in a ploughed field. I preferred to see it on the water. It never happened so I tried my hand at photographing what was available.
This a juvenile gull. Someone thought it might be a yellow-legged gull. I'm no good at splitting all the herring gull type juveniles so I'll just put it down as a herring gull. Nice plumage anyway.
September 16th: another wasted afternoon. I went to Ripon City Wetlands to try for the hobbies that had been showing well over the three previous days. Along with a couple of other photographers I saw virtually nothing.
A common darter
The view from the reedbed screen.
And, finally, the enormous car park - room for a couple of hundred more cars!
198 UK 2020 - 200 beckons but it may not be straightforward...