To round off 2022 I made a New Year's eve afternoon visit to the
Venus Pool reserve near Cross Houses. The highlight here was perhaps as many as 500 Lapwings – the largest flock I have seen for many a year. Here are a few images I took.
There were two Shelduck present and most of the time they were at opposite ends of the water. Just once they came together for a brief spat. The bird on the left with a swelling at the bill base is likely a drake
It is perhaps still a bit early in the season to be able to say for certain that the other bird is a duck especially as on this view the breast band looks wide-enough for it to be a drake.
A pair of Shoveler. I could not capture both of them with their heads out of the water, sifting for food with their well-adapted bills.
A duck Gadwall feeding with her eyes shut. Note the white in her folded wing; her pale belly and the bright orange side to her bill.
A drake Gadwall. How could I resist? Drakes have a bill that is all black.
A different drake.
There was much commotion amongst a group of Eurasian Wigeon. Here is why – six drakes (with yellow on their crowns) and just one duck.
Three of the drakes with the duck in this view. Note the white in the upper wing of the drakes and their green speculum. Her upper wing is mostly plain. Both sexes show clean white bellies.
Five drakes and duck change direction.
Three drakes in this view showing their rather pointed wings and one with his tail feathers well spread-out.
The whole group coming back in.
A trio of Mallard: two drakes and a duck.
What I thought at the time was two Mallard ducks having a dispute, locking bills. Not something I can recall having seen before. But the photo suggests otherwise. The head profile of the left hand bird is wrong and the flank feathers are quite differently marked from what looks to be a normal duck Mallard on the right. I suspect a hybrid but of what?
Just a small part of the very many Lapwings present.
A trio with their crests showing well. Here with two pairs of sleeping Eurasian Wigeon.
A small group standing around.
Off they go. A very nervous species that seems to spend a lot of energy flying around after any perceived threat. They did not like Carrion Crows anywhere nearby. Note the dab of brown-rufous at the very top of the upper tail.
I managed to capture this lone Lapwing in flight. Note the brown-rufous is also on the under tail.
A few in flight. Note the bird in the centre lacking in any head markings. This is very odd – even juveniles are not as plain as this. I tried to turn it in to something unusual but the tail markings are pure Lapwing.
A trio landing to join others.
The Cormorants do fish in the water but most just seem to loaf around, as here. A pair of Shoveler are in front the quartet of Cormorants with a few of the Lapwings and two more duck Shoveler.
Another arriving to join the throng.
A Grey Heron. A lone Lapwing and drake Mallard are at its feet. Bottom right is a feeding drake Shoveler. On the bank behind is a sleeping drake (Common) Teal in front of a sleeping drake Eurasian Wigeon. All the other ducks are also Eurasian Wigeon: four drakes and three ducks.
Here I was looking straight up in to what light there was at a small bird working Alder cones. A lot of adjustment and cropping reveals it to be a Lesser Redpoll with a red 'poll'.
(Ed Wilson)
