RSPB Burton Mere - 23 Oct 18

Today I visited the RSPB Reserve at Burton Mere Wetlands on the Dee Estuary. After some splendid Autumn days it was of course rather dull and windy

One of the spectacles here in winter is the gathering of Pink-footed Geese – up to 10000 in the fields in and around the reserve. Here is a trio. Each species of geese has a different flight call and that can be a way to separate them – there are Canada and Greylag Geese here as well. Here we see the pale grey forewing, not as pale as shown by Greylag Geese which also shows a darker contrasting inner area. The smaller bill is mostly dark with a pink band whereas a Greylag has a completely pink-orange bill.

Compare and contrast time: the waders with mottled backs and curved bills are of course Curlew. At the left are three Black-tailed Godwits with straight bills and ‘smoother’ plumage. Almost the same size as Curlew. The bird at the extreme right is a Ruff but you’d do well to identify it from this view. We can just about make out the rather mottled back, the rather short straight bill and the ochre wash on the face. But ...

Also compare and contrast: an escape Black Swan shares the pool with a rather unexpected ‘wild swan’ – a Whooper Swan. The other wild swan that visits the UK, Bewick’s Swan, is smaller with a shorter neck and less yellow on the bill. In front on the left is a Black-tailed Godwit. The smaller waders in front of the Whooper Swan are Common Redshank.

And here is a trio of Common Redshanks. When the legs are hidden underwater the bi-coloured bill and the white eye-ring are identification clues. Behind we see a drake Shoveler with its odd-shaped bill. Not quite yet in full plumage

Shoveler were bathing and behaving more like diving ducks. In an attempt to wet all his under-feathers this immature drake has exposed his pale blue forewing normally visible only in flight.

Who has got muddy feet then! This Moorhen struggles through.

Also with muddy feet is this Little Egret having a bad hair day – it was rather windy! This species is separated from other ‘white herons’ by its yellow feet but if it has been in the mud that may not apply.

In close up we see the breeding ‘aigrets’ hanging over the back and sprouting from the breast. Note also the elongated feathers on the crown.

And the mud is sliding off the foot here and we can just make out some yellow on the foot.

You would not want to be a fish looking up at that bill and stare would you?

This was the highlight of the day. It is a Water Pipit. Frustratingly it stayed behind the sedges and I could not persuade the camera to focus through to the bird. This species nests on uplands mainly in Scandinavia but is a regular if scarce visitor to the UK in winter. At this time of year it is best identified by the rather prominent wing-bars. It is slightly larger than Meadow Pipit and the very closely-related and rather grey-toned Rock Pipit would be much less likely inland. In Spring the Water Pipit’s breast moults to a distinctive peachy colour.

At extreme range on reed-mace waving in the breeze we see a Stonechat. This is a male with the white collar. His feathers will abrade during the winter and in Spring he will be almost black and white with a peachy breast.

(Ed Wilson)

Venus Pool - 20 Oct 18

Today I visited the public hides at the SOS Reserve of Venus Pool.

The surprise of the day was to find this Egyptian Goose. We see the rather strange eye-patch and the white panel in the wing that is so obvious when this species flies. Originally escapes / releases from wildfowl collections there is now a feral breeding population in the UK. This bird is not ringed, as birds in wildfowl collections are supposed to be, but whether it is truly ‘wild’ is open to conjecture.

Here you get 4 for the price of one. The smaller rufous-tinged Egyptian Goose has gone to sleep next to a sleeping Canada Goose while a Greylag Goose flaps to shake its feathers back in to shape following a preen. A Lapwing looks about showing why one of its other vernacular names is Green Plover.

The water level at Venus Pool is still low at the moment so most birds are rather far away for photography. This Grey Heron was fishing a bit closer.

And again.

Looking intently for its next meal.

Meanwhile the Little Egret is all dash and lunge. Note the yellow feet. On the closely-related New World Snowy Egret the yellow goes all the way up the back of the leg to the knee (well: ankle if we are anatomically correct).

A fine flying Cormorant. An adult judging by the all-black belly. Not sure why there are white feathers in the wing – a trick of the light on glossy feathers?

Not my best photo of flying Lapwings. Included here to show that other species attach themselves to Lapwing flocks – in the bottom right we see a Common Starling. Later in the season we could look for Golden Plover to join Lapwings.

Looking great in the afternoon Autumn sun this male Common (or Ring-necked) Pheasant. Yet to acquire the long tail of a breeding bird.

Magpie acting like an ox-pecker from Africa. The Hebridean Sheep seem rather sanguine about it all.

Not sure I would want a Magpie that close to my eye even if it was removing a tick.

One of the features of today’s visit was hundreds (if not thousands) of ladybirds. Ladybirds in unprecedented numbers. All those I checked were the invasive Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis). Here are two specimens.

And here is a third variant. The white ‘panda eyes’ seems to be a good feature to separate this in all its variants from ‘our’ ladybirds – and there are more than 20 of those.

(Ed Wilson)