Today I made another visit to the Shropshire Ornithological Society’s reserve at Venus Pool. Here are some images
The light was amazing and the local Kingfisher was up for posing on the perch placed in front of the main public hide, albeit at some distance. I make no apologies for majoring on this individual. It is not always appreciated that only the back of Kingfishers is electric blue and head-on it is brick red. Note the black ‘toe nails’.
Stunning! And with a fish in its bill too.
I am out of superlatives.
Enlarged as much as I dare to show the blue moustache and white ear-patch. A very impressive bill! As it is all-black this bird is a male – females show a red base to the lower mandible.
Of course it wasn’t on its perch to pose for photographs. It was looking for fish and when spotted off it went.
Hovering to get in to the right position. As with Kestrels hovering is the natural way of hunting but just as Kestrels use lamp-posts as vantage points to save energy this Kingfisher uses the provided perch.
Not have a ‘professional’ camera means I could not ‘freeze’ the final plunge. But you get the idea.
Back on its perch complete with fish.
And ‘down the hatch’.
Back to work. Willing a fish to appear.
Seemed to work. Here it comes back with a another catch. While I was watching every dive caught a fish.
Sitting in the vegetation hardly makes it well camouflaged.
There were other distractions: a trio of Shoveler pass behind the Kingfisher. The lead bird is a drake still acquiring breeding plumage.
A trio in flight. Note the blue fore-wings. At first sight is appears to be a smiling duck in the lead but ducks have grey forewings. A duck would no show pale on the breast so this is in fact an immature drake.
This IS a duck Shoveler and a neck-breaking bird it is too. Note the green leg.
Two Greylag Geese leave.
And another four leaving.
Five Common Teal, three of them splendid drakes doing a bit of competitive display.
A drake in close-up.
And a pair.
A Cormorant leaving. They are very long-tailed. Note that there is some white-spotting on the belly indicating this is a sub-adult.
An unusual site – a juvenile Moorhen running with wings raised. This bird has yet to acquire the red shield of adult Moorhens.
A Lapwing in great light.
The green sheen in the plumage depends upon the angle of light.
A size comparison between Lapwing and a pair of Common Teal.
A pair of Pied Wagtails – the male with the blacker plumage.
The reflective male.
A ‘grab shot’ of a Redwing in the shade. The white eye-brow is the main clue here.
A typical ‘angry bird’ Goldfinch tucks in to the Teasel heads.
Presumably they are too light to feel the sharp points as they stand on the Teasel heads.”
(Ed Wilson)
