Today I paid another visit to the SOS Reserve at
Venus Pool. Here are some of the images I took
There were four Mute Swans when I arrived. They all left together. Here are two of them.
The right one is wearing a green Darvic ring that would have been put on in Worcestershire. Here enlarged as much as I can in appears to be 'CPA.', the last character is not readily discernible. I'll see what I can find out.
Two drake Shovelers
And a duck Shoveler
A flying drake.
A drake in need of a handkerchief.
And what is likely a first year drake still acquiring its breeding plumage.
A group of Gadwall were displaying. Here two drakes and a duck make some noise.
This drake shows pale around the base of his bill. Not sure why that might be and not something I can recall seeing before.
And here he is with his intended.
A fine-looking drake Common Teal
There were many fewer Lapwing than on my previous visit. About 125 here. It is always worth checking these flocks for other species in with them. Golden Plover would be nice but all we have here, visible top centre, is a lone Starling. Starlings frequently associate with Lapwings in winter.
Even with relatively few Lapwing it could get crowded at times.
The Red Arrows could do a better formation turn.
One comes in to land.
The green and purple gloss in the wings of these two Lapwings were shown well during a brief sunny interval.
The only gull that dropped in was this first year Herring Gull. The very front of the back shows the pearl grey adult colour of this species. It is unusual for this species to show a pale eye at this age. Note the small pale area at the tip of the mainly dark bill.
The same bird leaving. It is impossible to see it has a pale eye on this view.
Just fits! I zoomed in on this Cormorant and just as I pressed the shutter it opened its wings. The Lapwings are unimpressed.
Feet out as another prepares to pitch in.
Note that as usual it touches down tail-first with the feet still out of the water.
This one looks rather surprised to have made it.
It was rather distant. A Common Buzzard looks on.
A Pied Wagtail stamps its foot!
Who me?
And now a little chirrup.
(Ed Wilson)
