Venus Pool - Black tailed Godwits

My first Black-tailed Godwits of the year and there were five of them! Thanks to Dave Chapman for the heads up! Four adults and a juvenile...

And this was what they did for most of the day!

Occasionally disturbed by curious Gulls...

The juvenile stretching his legs!

Close views seem to be a thing of the past and with the water levels dropping fast, no chance soon!

Venus Pool - Black-tailed Godwit

There's been a Black-tailed Godwit (now in its second week) and every time I've seen it, always hunkered down on the middle island... Thanks to a Sparrowhawk flushing the Lapwing flock, it took off with them, still distant but much better views!

The Great White Egret is now becoming almost daily in appearance, amongst another throng of Cormorants - counted 61 present today (after 67 present on Christmas eve)

Venus Pool - Black-tailed Godwit

Apart from Lapwings and Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwit has generally been the most likely wader to see at VP this year with a steady flow of them from late summer. Up until now, they had always been interesting as 'group shots' but today, one was obliging me in front of the hide - in cracking light!

And after burying its head in the water, time to expel anything non-nutritious, like water or mud!

The light was good too, for a change!

There's still time for something special to drop in?? Just...

Venus Pool - Black-tailed Godwit adult vs Juvenile

The majority of the Black-tailed Godwits passing through have been juveniles so it was nice to have the one adult with them up close!

A juvenile taking to deeper water and paddling along!

Here's another juv giving a nice comparison of the different plumages!

Venus Pool - Black tailed Godwits x 9!

The Black-tailed Godwits are not just coming, they are are staying a while. Two new arrivals took the tally for the day to 9 and they were a little more obliging with one of two coming near to the hide. The light of course was horrendous...

Here's the adult...

Plus of of the juvs feeding...

Encroaching on the mud...

Searching for different invertebrates?

A pause for thought?

Then back in the water for more goodies...

Teaming up with another new arrival, one of the first Common Snipe which arrived the previous day...

And getting a withering look from one of the geese...

No new waders but (2) LRP, (2) Green and (2) Common Sandpipers still present!

Venus Pool - Black-tailed Godwits x 7

The Patch has turned up a few waders of late and leading the roll-count has to be Black-tailed Godwits with another seven (all Islandica) a single adults plus 6 juvs...

Sticking near to the middle island, they were always going to be difficult!

But nervous birds create occasional flight possibilities!

Singling out one of the juvs and adults to finish...

Venus Pool - Black-tailed Godwits

John Martin's perseverance with VP paid off with a nice find of 7 Black-tailed Godwits this morning. I called in both morning and evening when they were still there. Never far from the middle island, a heck of a lot of distance to deal with!

Here's all 7 reasonably close together

And using three together, a sensible way to use the highly cropped frame!

Those legs allow feeding birds to cope nicely with the current high water conditions!

Waders... we need more passage waders!

Venus Pool - Blackwits - Flashback to 2006!

The seven Blackwits at VP herald the start of some good wader movement and I thought I'd take a hunt through the archives to 11th June 2006 when an unparalleled number dropped into Venus Pool. I can still remember it clearly - in the those days, the blog hadn't been created and the pool was a whole lot tidier!

I can't guarantee the three pics don't overlap and probably incomplete coverage but there were 68 Black-tailed Godwits (I remember counting multiple times with Geoff Holmes) on and adjacent to the middle island,!

Those were the days eh? Despite no long lens!!

Venus Pool - Blackwit preening

You've got to look your best for the camera and whilst I've taken plenty of Black-tailed Godwit images lately, why not a few more of an accommodating bird?

Having finished feeding right in front of the hide...

Tidying up all those uncomfortable feathers?

Wanna see my rump?

Finishing off with a ruffle!

We really could do with something more interesting on view!

Venus Pool - a lucky 13 Black-tailed Godwits!

Not a lot happening today and I was just about to leave when this little lot dropped in! (Two of them anyway)

At first, I couldn't fit them all in the frame but here's five of a flock of  thirteen Black-tailed Godwits...

Doubling that up, here's ten together!

And finally, got all thirteen (is that meant to be unlucky?)  as they settled in for a communal preen!

Eventually something spooked them and off they went!

Evening view of another three which dropped in during the evening!

It might not be 'quality' but certainly a good 'quantity' to keep spirits up :-)