Venus Pool - 20 Feb 20

Today I made another visit to the SOS Reserve at Venus Pool. It was inspired timing. After days of grey skies and rain a clearance produced bright sunshine. With the sun behind the hides and clear air the camera was busy. The water-level was rather high for ducks. The woodland feeders were very rewarding. Here goes ....

I hope this is after the watershed. Canada Geese goslings on the way?

“Wasn’t that fun”

And off they go still shouting. The shadow of the neck on the closest bird makes it looks like a ‘zip’!

This male Shelduck has now acquired the large swelling at the base of its bill – the female’s bill has a much smaller swelling.

A good view of the breeding plumage features of this departing adult Cormorant – white thigh patch and white plumes on the head and neck.

A rather soggy-looking Little Grebe acquiring summer plumage. The head is going rufous and the pale yellow patch at the base of the bill is developing.

Meanwhile a Common Buzzard circles over. Missing a tail-feather (or two).

Great light on this group of Lapwings explaining one of their country names: ‘Green Plover’. They are not really asleep!

Three Common Snipe are also not asleep. Neither is the drake Shoveler in the foreground. Amazingly there were more than fifty snipe here today.

This individual wandered out on to the grass in front of the main hide. Just look at that complex patterning.

The light around the woodland feeders was great. Most of the usual species were present with a few delights. Here a Great Spotted Woodpecker waits its turn. The red on the nape identifies it as a male.

An ever-cute Blue Tit.

Also cute is this Long-tailed Tit.

This is probably the same male Brambling that I photographed last week. If you look carefully at the back of this bird you can see the pale orange fringes to the black feathers. Within the next two months these will wear away and the whole head and back will become jet black.

I have never seen the feeders so busy and this resulted in some serious-looking disputes. I do not usually photo birds on feeders but this seems to be the time to break that rule and show some of the antics. Here a male Greenfinch looks hopefully for another to vacate a perch.

And no: I did not Photoshop-ed out a perch. It really is holdings its feet like this while in flight.

This male makes off with a prized sunflower seed.

Another approach to landing. Look no wings!

Mr. Angry.

‘Angry’ seems to be trait of male Greenfinches.

“He’s trying to take the food out of my mouth”

A second later: this shows the detail in the wing and tail markings well.

A male resists the approach of a female.....

... and drives her away.

Here is a female Greenfinch showing how much less ‘green’ she is. Note the feint streaking – flammulations – on the flanks.

First example of ‘compare and contrast’: a male Greenfinch sits above a male Chaffinch.

If you think Greenfinches are hard to capture in flight then try capturing Blue Tits.

A highlight today was at least two, probably more, Lesser Redpolls at the feeders. Here is what is possibly a first-year male – there is a hint of pink on the breast which is not usually shown by females. The small red ‘poll’ – crown – is just visible, as is the distinctive yellowish bill.

Compare and contrast #2. Note the size of the Lesser Redpoll on the left and the much larger male Chaffinch on the right.

Compare and contrast #3. A Goldfinch on the left is quite similar in size to the male Lesser Redpoll on the right. This specimen is a much brighter Lesser Redpoll. In winter it is often the small ‘Hitler’ patch under the bill that is most obvious. Not so when they look like this.

A close-up of this Lesser Redpoll.”

(Ed Wilson)

River Dee and Estuary - 11 Feb 20

Today I paid another visit to the Dee Estuary. Not this time majoring on the RSPB Burton Mere reserve but to the Parkgate area. A few words of explanation. Parkgate used to be a resort on the Dee Estuary. However over the years the salt marsh has encroached and the River Dee and the estuary mud used by the goose, ducks and waders are far away. A few times each month at high Spring tides much of the salt marsh is covered and birds come closer and closer before being flushed off to a few inaccessible high tide roosts.

The 11th was one such day – February is the last month when the geese will remain in high numbers. The remains of Storm Ciara ensured that low pressure remained to boost the height of the tide. The RSPB set up a stall at the boathouse at the far end of the ‘sea front’. Today was so windy that the best option was to stay in the car parked along the front or hide behind it to get shelter from the wind. It was rather dull weather. With all that proviso here we go with some of images I caught.

The dominant winter visiting goose is the Pink-footed Goose. Here a group heads off to roost. The background is Wales on the opposite side of the River Dee. The pale forewing is not as prominent as on the slightly larger Greylag Goose. Greylag is more easily separated by its large orange bill.

A few pass closer. See they do have pink feet, though it is hardly the most obvious feature most of the time.

Nowhere can escape the Canada Geese. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull at bottom left.

The area is a good place to see the attractive Pintail. Here a pair pass by. The drake’s plumage is unmistakable. The duck shares the obvious this neck.

Little Egrets are abundant here and come close whatever the tide. This one shows many breeding ‘aigrettes’ – lengthened feathers on the back and the breast: the blue at the base of the bill will soon go reddish.

In flight the ‘yellow’ feet are very obvious. They look slightly pink-tinged to me.

This one has a caught what seems to be a rat! It too has pink-tinged feet.

It has ‘grounded’ its prey to get to grips with it.

A ‘bad hair day’ for this Little Egret.

Back at the main RSPB Reserve to warm up this group of two Great White and two Little Egrets were positioned to provide a good size comparison. Yellow bill on the Great White and black on the Little.

No mistaking the long curved bill of Curlew.

The most abundant wader in winter is Black-tailed Godwit. In flight it is the bold wing pattern that it most obvious rather than the ‘black tail’. A large wader with a long straight red-based bill.

This group has been joined by a lone Lapwing and adult Black-headed Gull.

Another large group also with a Lapwing – the bottom bird. Only when I looked at this photo did I notice that there is a Knot among them – towards the bottom left. Small, shorter bill and less well-marked wings and tail.

This closer group shows the characteristic was the feet on this long-legged species stick out beyond the tail in flight.

Second most-common wader was Redshank. A group performing nicely showing their unique wing pattern, medium-length bill and red ‘shanks’ – legs. Not too the barred tail.

Quite common actually!

Not quite sharp but worth noting some of the distinctive features of this winter Common Gull. The small yellow-green bill with a dark necklace is very typical. So too is the extensive white in the wing-tip – more than on any age Herring Gull. The tone of the back and wings is also slightly darker than Herring Gull. Unusual is the dark marks on the primary coverts indicating this is a second-year bird. Note too the dark eye – at all ages in this species.

A passing Lesser Black-backed Gull. Probably a third-winter bird as there is much black on the bill, the wing-tips lack any white ‘mirrors’ and the tail shows a few dark markings.

It is not all geese, ducks and waders. Many Skylarks and Meadow Pipits hide in the salt marsh and gradually come closer. Here two Skylarks. The short crest is just about visible here. One distinctive marking is the rather rounded, pale-fringed greater coverts.

In flight Skylarks have a very distinctive silhouette. Note the white outer tail-feathers and the thin white trailing edge to the wings.

And here a Meadow Pipit. A longer, thinner bill on this species which matches the Sky Lark in tone.

(Ed Wilson)