The Unpredicability of Birding

Nature is ever capricious, turning up where you least expect it. A week or two ago we spent a morning in the lovely site of Villaviciosa without seeing much to write about. Last weekend we spent 17 hours trying to see bears in Western Asturias, in a place where lots of people are seeing them all the time. Zilch. A couple of days ago, to end our summer stay in Asturias, we decided to go to an Indian restaurant in Gijón, without any idea of seeing birds. Before entering the restaurant we took a stroll along the promenade and found this gorgeous group of Knots on the beach rocks, one of them still with a hint of summer plumage. Luckily enough the camera was to hand nearby in the car. The beach was full of people swimming, playing frisbee and paddle ball, without ever suspecting that a few metres were these VIPs from the high arctic. And the birds themselves never turned a feather at all this frenetic activity roundabout. That's just how whimsical nature is sometimes.

 Here are some snaps of the beauties.

And to wind things up, a photo taken by a friend of me barefoot on the rocks photographing them.