A few photos from the West Midland Bird Club Reserve Belvide today.
A trio of Canada Geese departing from the WMBC Reserve at Belvide. Just about retracting their undercarriage.
And a quartet likewise.
There must have been news of a good food source: another takes flight.
A pair of Goldeneye touch down showing the very different plumage between the sexes in the breeding season.
A better view of the drake’s upper wing pattern.
Managed to restrict myself to a single drake Gadwall shot (more or less).
Belvide is home to breeding Black-headed Gulls on several specially constructed shingle islands. These are incredibly noisy places. Even though few of the birds are yet in breeding plumage they have started pairing up and reserving space. Here one seems to be unhappy with the presence of the Lapwings.
A pair displaying with typically part-open wings. Not much ‘black head’ on either of these two.
The pair again in display. It is unlikely we will see this behaviour at Priorslee.
This pair even manage to display while on the water.
“Any room at the inn?” Gull colonies can be crowded as well as noisy.
More ‘large gulls’ to get to grips with. This first-year Herring Gull is quite easy to ID with the paler inner primaries. Note too the pale base to the bill – most show an all-dark bill only until the turn of the year.
The same bird flying by.
A different first-year Herring Gull shouting. This bird still has an all-dark bill ...
... And is incurring the wrath of one of the Black-headed Gulls.
I don’t think the summer plumaged Black-headed Gull is complaining about this first-year Herring Gull – which does not look at all impressed.
What bird can do a bill-stand? This is not really a trick by another first-year Herring Gull: it was diving to immerse and have a wash.
And here a trio of first-year Herring Gulls bathing. The right-hand bird had what appeared to be a pebble in its bill for ages.
The pebble is perhaps more clearly seen here.
Well we’ve all heard of “water off a duck’s back”. Seems to apply to Oystercatchers too.
Five-in-one. At the back a drake Gadwall: in front from left to right a Lapwing, and adult Black-headed Gull, a male Starling and an Oystercatcher. How do we know the Starling is a male? In the breeding season the base of the bill is ‘blue for a boy’ and ‘pink for a girl’ – honest!
A group of seven Raven flying at some distance. Compared with Crows and Rooks (apart from size) note the well-separated wing-tip feathers (primaries), the large curved bill (shaped like a Bowie knife) and the puffed-out throat area due to shaggy feathers (called hackles).
(Ed Wilson)
