Venus Pool - 21 Aug 21

Today I dropped in to SOS Reserve at Venus Pool. As previously noted the public hides are now available with the windows and doors fixed open to minimise the possibility of Covid transmission. A few images from the visit:

Definite highlight was the presence of Wood Sandpiper. A larger relative of Common Sandpiper with obvious spotting on its back and a pronounced supercilium.

There were two birds present. Note the greeny-yellow legs. They often look small-headed, as here.

This species passes through inland waters in small numbers on both Spring and Autumn migration but rarely stays long and is not an easy species to catch up with. I think it is 20 years since I have seen one in the UK. True to form, within the hour these two left together flying off high - er, North! Africa is the other way guys.

For good measure two short videos. Note here that this species pumps its tail in typical sandpiper fashion though not as spiritedly as Common Sandpipers.

And again. The premature end occurred when a Jackdaw called and this skittish species took evasive action. [I must work out how to turn the sound off on the camera!]

Rather similar in size is this Green Sandpiper. Only in certain lights at the height of the breeding season does it look 'green'. Mostly this species looks very dark on the back. It may have a few spots on the back and wing-edges: it never looks speckled as does Wood Sandpiper.

A small group of Black-tailed Godwits were present. Here two snooze while it rains gently.

One standing to attention here, showing its long bill. The closely-related Bar-tailed Godwit is much less common inland and cane be separated on the ground by shorter legs and a bill that is noticeable recurved. It would not show a white rump - as seen here.

During my last two visits I have seen no Canada Geese - only Greylags, shown here returning. Nine geese all with their mouths closed - does not happen often!

(Ed Wilson)

Venus Pool - 7 Aug 21

Today I made a visit to the SOS Reserve at Venus Pool. For the first time since the start of the first Covid lock-down the public hide is now open with the door all the viewing portals fixed open. It provided welcome shelter from the heavy showers. Middle of summer is not the best time to visit but I managed a few images:

There were plenty of Greylag Geese and strangle no Canadas. Many of the geese left – here two head off in a tidy formation. The pale forewing of this species shows well.

Four more departing

A few individuals arrived. One about to splash down.

Good to see a few Lapwings. Not in the best of plumages at this time of year but still a green gloss on the back. One of the country names for this species is Green Plover.

The other species of wader present was this Common Sandpiper. A Green Sandpiper had been reported. I did not see it.

A juvenile Black-headed Gull starting to acquire a few pale grey feathers in its mantle as it moults in to first-winter plumage. Very recently fledged juveniles are almost chocolate-brown but this soon fades to the paler brown seen here.

In reflective mood.

A rather ungainly touch down from this Grey Heron, all the feathers ruffled by the air currents as it effectively 'stalls'. In the background three drake Mallards. They are in eclipse plumage and be identified as drakes by the pale green-yellow bill.

More or less settled to go fishing.

This plume moth flushed from vegetation and stayed to pose for me. I think the spotting on curled up wings indicate this is a Common Plume (Emmelina monodactyla). Makes a change to see these in the light and get a better idea of their true tone.

(Ed Wilson)

North Wales - 1 Jul 21

Today I took at trip to Gronant on the North Wales coast where there is a nesting colony of Little Terns. Later I made a quick visit to the RSPB Reserve at Conwy. Here are some images from the day.

Gronant

Some confusion over the paths needed to access the viewing platform saw me headed for Point of Ness by mistake. Carrying the necessary telescope made photography more difficult. Amongst many fleeting view Sedge and Reed Warblers was this more cooperative male Reed Bunting.

There was some very interesting vegetation with the highlight this Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis).

I retraced my steps and eventually reached the viewing platform only to find that the Little Terns were nesting some way away protected by an electric fence. There is no 'visitor centre' facility this year 'Covid you know'. Passing the viewing platform was this third year Herring Gull showing black feathers on the primary coverts.

So the terns could only be seen in flight and at some distance. Thus all these images are necessarily significantly cropped and enlarged. So I apologise for the poor quality of some of them. One passing. These birds have a black-tipped yellow bills and a white forehead.

This one carrying a small fish, likely a sand-eel.

They always seem to hold the fish in the tip of their bill.

Looks like this one is struggling to hold on to its fish.

Perhaps the closest fly-by. The white forehead is obvious here.

A plan view of one passing over.

One hovering.

A trio passes by. These are very vocal birds and the closest have their bills open, calling.

A family of Stonechats provided a welcome bonus. A female on the left and a juvenile on the right.

Juvenile wants feeding but mums seems unimpressed.

"FEED ME!!!!" Meanwhile mum bounces off.

 Juvenile seems none too happy.

Here is mum again.

And juvenile again.

And a male from a different family

RSPB Reserve at Conwy

Then on to Conwy where this Great Egret was on show. When seen like this the long neck and long yellow bill make any confusion with the black-billed Little Egret unlikely. On its left leg the top of a ring is just visible ...

'White AAT on red'. The RSPB staff on duty knew about the ring but could not provide any information as to its origin.

This illustrates the difference nicely – four Little Egrets with black bills; two Great Egrets with yellow bills and a Grey Heron for size comparison.

The least expected sighting here at this date was a pair of (Eurasian) Wigeon. They do breed in small numbers in Northern England and Scotland but most will be in Northern Europe at this date. The drake was rather too distant to photograph but this duck was closer. At this time of year when ducks are moulting identification is not always straightforward. The clues here are the rufous tones in the flanks and the dark around the eye – a Dusty Springfield fan, clearly (if you old enough to remember).

One more for orchid fans – 100s of Bee Orchids (Ophrys apifera) here.

(Ed Wilson)

Anglesey - 17 Jun 21

Today I made an annual pilgrimage to Anglesey to visit two very different sites. The first stop was Cemlyn Bay for the breeding terns. Then on to South Stack for the thousands of Auks, mainly Guillemots, and other seabirds. Here are some photos from the excursion.

Cemlyn Bay

North Wales Wildlife Trust looks after the Cemlyn Bay site which, in summer, is home to breeding Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns. There were reportedly two Roseate Terns but they eluded me. All the terns breed on and around the islands in the lagoon. The island is protected from ground predators such as foxes by an electric fence. Here is an over view.

The most graceful of the terns are the Arctic Terns. They have a blood-red bill and the longest tail-streamers of the three species seen.

One perched on the ground. The legs of this species are very short.

A Common Tern. This species has a black-tipped orange bill. Also the outer primaries are dark. Easily seen in this photo the feature can be surprisingly hard to see with the naked eye when the bird is, typically, darting about as it hunts for food. On this bird the feature seems exceptionally strong and there is some dark marking in the coverts as well. It may be a first year bird though I would expect that to show a white forehead as well. The white squiggle is not anything you would want to land on you or your car.

This one is hovering looking for prey....

 ...and diving down to spear it.

 One returning with a fish.

Very graceful.

This one outbound showing the underwing. On an Arctic Tern there would be only a thin black trailing edge to the primaries – again hard to see without freezing the action with a camera.

Sandwich Terns are the most numerous species with birds constantly passing over the public access beach. Here one is outbound on a fishing expedition.

One returning with a small fish – sand eels are their preferred food.

This bird shows white speckling on the normally all-black cap. Likely this is a first-year bird and it may just be practising rather than nesting.

One with two fish.

This one has three.

A greedy bird with a beakful – five I can see.

A passing bird.

Here with tail spread.

Not too many other birds were in the area. This Little Egret was an exception.

South Stack

Then it was on to the RSPB Reserve at South Stack. The birds are rather more distant here and there was some heat haze making the photos less clear than I would have liked. These are all Guillemots. There is no prize for correctly guessing the number of birds.

A closer view of the crowded ledges on which they lay their single egg.

This gathering of birds is likely birds that have come back full of fish that are waiting for their partner to leave the nest so they take their turn in incubating the egg. How they recognise each other and their few feet of ledge is a mystery.

There are far fewer Razorbills and these tend to be higher on the cliffs. Here are two at the top with Guillemots at the left and bottom left. They can be picked out as they are a jet black whereas the Guillemots are just very dark. With practice they can be separated at long range and you do not need to see the thicker bill with the thin white stripe above it. There did not seem to be any Puffins around – a few breed here each year in burrows in the grassy areas. However access to the island was closed – Covid you know – and the path to there is the best place to find them.

These cliff-nesters are harder to see – a colony of Kittiwakes. They certainly leave a lot of 'splash'! These neat and rather noisy gulls are the most pelagic of the gull species that regularly occur around the UK.

It wouldn't be the seaside without the ubiquitous Herring Gull.

Perhaps this year's highlight was this Chough – a speciality of the area that is rarely as obliging as this.

It not only did a fly-by but then dropped to the ground. The population is being monitored here so all of them have rings.

Another resident here is the Stonechat – this is the male.

(Ed Wilson)