Wirral - 20 Jan 22

Today I paid another visit to The Wirral, starting at New Brighton where a pontoon in the Marine Lake attracts birds to roost at high tide when their food is covered. The wanted species here was Purple Sandpiper.

Amazingly one of the first birds to arrive was a Purple Sandpiper, here with a Redshank for handy size comparison.

The light was from an unhelpful angle but with a bit of photo editing the pale-based slightly decurved bill and yellow-orange legs (only one on view here!) on this rather tubby species can be seen.

Three Redshanks in different poses as they fly in. All the other birds are Turnstones apart from the far right-most bird which is a Purple Sandpiper.

Four (count the legs!) more Turnstones arrive. Purple Sandpipers are in the foreground at the left and right.

Two of the Purple Sandpipers, the right-hand bird with some vegetation on its right leg.

I think we can say 'job done'. It was time to move just down the road to look for Snow Buntings.

After much searching a Snow Bunting was spotted lurking in the dune grass.

Not easy to see but three here. Was I going to get a clear view?

Amazingly yes! They flew over my head to land on one of the fences placed to help stabilise the dunes. All five birds in the area lined up to have their photographs taken.

They showed little concern from three of us photographing them at close range though this shot is cropped and enlarged. We were all careful not to get too close.

Two of them.

One of the two shows its back.

Here one drops to the ground to look for seeds amongst the grass. Note the very black legs.

As this one does the splits it shows long black nails on those black legs.

Last one (for now): a profile shot. Another job done.

While trying to locate the Snow Buntings the beach was host to an engaging group of Sanderlings running about and, here, disputing who was going to explore the shells for food. In winter this species is ghostly pale grey and it is hard to believe in breeding plumage its is boldly rufous (it is not easy to see this plumage in the UK). The black bill and legs are retained in all plumages. Note the dark 'shoulder patch' - actually at the bend of the folded wing.

A Sanderling tucks in.

And two poking about.

Noisy groups of Oystercatchers passed by to roost as the tide came in. Note three birds at the left have a white band on the throat. These are first-winter birds.

On a lamp post an adult winter Common Gull.

One with food. Note that compared with a Herring Gull the bill is much thinner and pale green-yellow. The legs are also green-yellow.

Another with food.

Here two Common Gulls look to be pairing up. The bird at the back has its head thrown back and is emitting what is known as the 'long call' used by many species of gull. Its presumed partner is responding more demurely.

This shot shows that a Common Gull is much smaller than a Herring Gull. Here it is a first winter Herring Gull with its wings akimbo, showing the paler inner primaries.

Common Gulls may be dwarfed by Herring Gulls but they are much bigger than Sanderlings which are Starling-sized.

There was a report of a single Snow Bunting on the rocks by the Hoylake Lifeboat Station, just a few miles down the road. Without any pressure having had such great views earlier it was of course not too hard to find!

And provided an action shot as well. The finale: a very good day.

(Ed Wilson)

Venus Pool - 13 Jan 22

Today I made another visit to the Shropshire Ornithological Society (SOS) reserve at Venus Pool. It was a crisp sunny day with the light behind me giving good conditions for photography. The downside was the ice that kept most birds rather further away than I would have liked.

There was a good variety of ducks. A drake Shoveler with bathing Common Snipe in the foreground

A drake Gadwall of course.

 A drake (Eurasian) Wigeon

And a drake Teal

Another drake Teal in reflective mode.

A Lapwing showing why it has the country name of Green Plover.

Another passing by.

Not easy to photo in flight: a Common Snipe.

A view of the underwing here.

Peering over the edge with frosted grass in the foreground.

And here out in the sun.

Usually there are as many as twenty Cormorants present. The ice presumably deterred them. This immature (the white flecking on the belly) dropped in for a few minutes.

Something different. This friendly little Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) was running around at speed making sharp photos difficult.

Here it is showing why this species is also called Long-tailed Field Mouse.

Another view.

(Ed Wilson)

Venus Pool - 31 Dec 21

On the last day of 2021 I paid another visit to the Shropshire Ornithological Society (SOS) reserve at Venus Pool. On sunny afternoons the light is from behind when sitting in the public hide. This provides good photo opportunities. All the drakes are now in their breeding finery.

 A drake Gadwall of course.

Here a duck Gadwall is hauled out. This bird has less orange tones to the edges of her bill than is usual for this species.

This duck Gadwall (here with two drakes) shows a more typical bill colour.

A drake Gadwall flaps to remove water after a bathe. Note the black bill. Here the wings look rather stubby but it must be an optical illusion...

 ..as with this duck doing the same the wings look quite normal.

A trio of (Eurasian) Wigeon with two drakes at the back

A pair of Wigeon, here in the shade. Note both sexes have a black-tipped blue-grey bill and white bellies. The dark area around the eye of the duck is a feature unique to wigeon - 'our' species and the New World species of American Wigeon. In that species the drake has a white rather than yellow forehead. As a result one of its local names is Baldpate.

A pair of Teal in the foreground. Compare their size with that of the larger female Gadwall behind them. On the duck Teal note the green in the wing (the speculum) and also the white on the side of the tail. This white mark is visible at long range even if the wing is neatly folded and the green does not show.

A smart drake Teal glides by.

This Great Egret (yellow bill) remained semi-hidden throughout.

The unexpected bird of the day was this first-winter Black-tailed Godwit – identified as this age by the retained dark-centred and white-fringed flight feathers. On an adult all the feathers would look much like those on its back. The black tail is visible as it pivots to feed.

A size comparison with a pair of Teal. On the godwit note the two-tone bill.

On its own here. The beige wash on the breast and flanks will moult to become speckled black and richly rufous in the breeding season, though probably not this year for this immature bird.

Some days there are as many as 30 assorted age Cormorants coming and going. These mostly arrive and depart in the distance. This adult came closer to the hide and turned its wing-tips up as it passed by. No sign of any breeding plumage on this bird.

A Grey Heron in breeding condition with plumes hanging from its back and with the bill having lost all black markings. In the foreground are two duck Wigeon (with pale bellies) and a duck Teal tail on. Top right is a drake Teal. Top left is part of a duck Mallard from the leg colour.

It is not all waterbirds. There is a feeding station inside trees where the usual array of tits and finches gather. There it is too dark for photography in winter, even on sunny afternoons. In the open a few Goldfinches were extracting seeds, mainly from teasel heads. Not sure what plant these smaller heads are from.

RSPB Burton Mere - 4 Jan 22

Today I visited the RSPB Reserve at Burton Mere on the Wirral. There was nothing too rare or unusual. The welcome sun (if not the chilly wind) helped secure a few interesting images.

A study in black and white: Great White Egret (the yellow bill separates from the black bill of Little Egret when size is not apparent); and Coot.

A rare view of the top side of a Sparrowhawk dashing by. The brown back indicates it is an immature: the size suggests it is a female.

A panic set off these Black-tailed Godwits.

Here a group fly accompanied by a single Dunlin (bottom left). It is just possible to see the slightly de-curved bill of the Dunlin.

A mixed group here: at least 25 Dunlin and 14 Black-tailed Godwits. Three drake Teal on the water.

Nearly all the features of the Black-tailed Godwit on view here. Long straight bill; obvious white wing-bar across almost all the wing; black tail with contrasting white upper-tail; feet sticking out beyond the tail. With the light behind me it would be possible to note that the bill is two-toned, pinky/orange at the base and black at the tip. The similar sized Bar-tailed Godwit has, guess what, a barred tail, a white lower back, no white wing bar, and shorter legs such that the feet are not usually sticking out beyond the tail. Also the slightly shorter bill is very gently de-curved. Bill length needs to be treated with caution as on all godwits female bills average longer than male bills and different races have, on average, slightly different length bills.

And the underside

Another place to find a friendly Robin

A male Stonechat in its less colourful winter plumage.

And here is its female companion.

And another view of her.

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New Brighton

Afterwards it was up to New Brighton to look for reported Snow Buntings. These did not show but a quick visit to the Marine Lake for the high tide wader roost on the pontoon produced:

Four species of wader here. The highlight is the bird bottom centre – a Purple Sandpiper. The three birds behind it are Dunlin. The bird behind the left-most Dunlin is one of several Redshank. The darker birds are all Turnstones.

A closer view of the Purple Sandpiper. Note the yellow-toned legs and bill. The bill is very slightly downturned but not as noticeable as on the Dunlin. Note the barring on the under-tail of the Redshank at the left and also the notching on the edges of some of the flight feathers.

Two Purple Sandpipers were noted: here is the other one (sans Dunlin). Massed ranks of Redshanks behind it!

On the beach was this trio of Sanderling. Much paler than the Dunlin with a shorter all-dark bill and black legs. Not easy to see here is the presence of a dark shoulder mark.

A bit zoomed in but note the pattern of their footprints in the mud: Sanderlings have no hind-toe and leave a three-toed pattern. This feature is also responsible for their unmistakable gait as they dash up and down with the breaking of the waves.

A splendid adult Herring Gull. Two Redshanks in the foreground and the bill of a mostly hidden adult Black-headed Gull behind it.