Venus Pool - 13 Dec 18

Another visit to the SOS Reserve at Venus Pool provided some more photo ops.

Here is a pair of Teal, drake closest to us. Not at all sure why there seems to be a blue area below the horizontal black line along the flank of the drake: its is where the speculum might be visible, but on Teal that should be green, not blue. Now look again at the head pattern and feather detail of the drake, remember and ....

... then look at this scruffy bird. The same head pattern is faintly there and there are a few body feathers with the drake-type markings. I assume this is a first-winter bird just acquiring its first adult plumage. Could be a retarded bird I suppose – don’t know much about such occurrences. Whatever: its speculum is certainly green.

A duck Wigeon. Usually ducks helpfully consort with their drakes which always makes identification easier. Points to note here are the very white belly: the dark surround to the eye: and the rather unusual head-shape (there was no drake nearby for a comparison shot: one for another day).

“Which way are the fish?” Cormorants look for inspiration. Great feather patterns.

One of the hides is in a wooded area where there are an array of feeders. On fine afternoons there is enough light for decent shots of birds around the feeders. This male Pheasant trundles around looking for scraps dropped off the table-feeder.

From this angle we can see just how ‘hooked’ the end of the upper mandible is.

Another ground-feeder after the scraps is this Moorhen. Some annoying shadows I am afraid but we can see some of the subtle shading on what is often thought of as a ‘black’ bird.

There are usually Great Spotted Woodpeckers around. Not often too cooperative. One playing peek-a-boo here.

‘Nice red blue-jeans’. A female without any red on the nape.

At a feeder but worth including for a number of points. Obviously a female from this angle. Note the powerful claws and the way even sideways on (and no: I have not rotated the photo) it uses its strong pointed tail-feathers as a prop.

All we need is some snow and we could make a Christmas Card.

Note the grey between the red breast and the brown back. Note also the pale brown tips to the inner primary-covert and all the greater-coverts.

From this angle we see some features not always obvious when we think of ‘Robin Redbreast’. Note the pale tips to the primaries and the much darker alula feathers (at the bend in the wing). The pale tips will wear away over the winter.

A fine male Chaffinch. Not often noticed amongst all the subtle colours is the almost lime green on the rump.

A more usual portrait. Note the blue-grey shawl and black across the top of the bill.

(Ed Wilson)

Venus Pool - 6 Dec 18

A few photos from Venus pool today.

“What’s going on over there?” ask these Greylag Geese.

Two pairs of Wigeon, drakes on the outside. Did not want to face the camera.

A Grey Heron flies by. Note the large feet. Unlikely at this time of year but always check for vagrant Purple Heron. When flying against the light the colour is hard to discern: the easiest separation is often the feet – a Purple Heron has proportionally even larger feet with toes that stick up almost vertically.

Not a cloud of gnats but all Lapwings. Over 300 present today. Good to see this number and perhaps indicating the decline of this species has been halted.

A closer look at this flock of Lapwings, put up by a passing Sparrowhawk.

Compare and contrast time. The Pied Wagtail is easy to see. In front a Meadow Pipit lurks in the grass. The pink legs rule out Rock or Water Pipits, the only other pipit species just about possible at this date.

(Ed Wilson)

Venus Pool - 17 Nov 18

Today I made another visit to the SOS Reserve at Venus Pool.

Just in time to catch some more great Autumn colours.

A beautiful clear blue sky, if somewhat hazy.

This bird, amongst all the Canada Geese present, was the only one with a ring – well two rings actually: the easy to read and somewhat fragile plastic Darvic ring; and the metal BTO ring that needs a better camera than mine to zoom in and read the embossed data. I am trying find out who, why, where?

Two Canada Geese fly off.

Four Wigeon: two ducks on the left; two drakes on the right.

Now three drakes, two showing their yellow crowns; and two ducks.

You can understand birds mistaking Herons for birds of prey: they look rather threatening as they sail overhead.

Talking of birds of prey. This Kestrel seems to be asking “are you taking my photo?”. In fact it was looking the other way and I squeaked to attract its attention to get the highlight in the eye. I think this is a first-winter bird. The breast looks rather ‘streaked’ rather than ‘rows of spots’ that characterises an adult female. Also the undertail has too many bands. Its a great-looking bird for all that.

Moorhens are splendid: the tones in their plumage are really delicate and they are not black or slate-grey but an admixture.

(Ring-necked) Pheasant males look (and are truly) exotic.

Though they look a bit dozy in close-up. 

A flock of Lapwings takes to the air, lit by the sun. Here is a good place to see several hundred of these birds – an increasingly rare sight these days.

I don’t really ‘do’ photographs of birds at feeders but this male (the red on the nape tells us its a male) Great Spotted Woodpecker standing on tip-toe and just about reaching the food in the feeder was well worth making an exception for.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker in more natural surroundings. Cannot see the nape to sex this bird. Strange pink suffusion on the breast and most of the belly.

Similar feeder-exception this Nuthatch. Having reached in to get some food it is now man-handling (bird-beaking?) it to open the sunflower seed.

Another “are you taking my photo?” look.

Mr. Chaffinch apparently gazing vacantly in to the distance. A rather dull specimen.

This one hardly looking any more dynamic.

At least this one is feeding.

And a rather brighter bird perhaps indicating that the viral infection Fringilla papillomavirus that causes the growth we see on its feet is none too harmful. A similar effect of the legs can be produced by a Knemidocoptes mite but that usually also affects the base of the bill and there is no sign of that on this bird.

(Ed Wilson)

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)