Shropshire - Golden Plover etc...

Another day with the morning spent south of Shrewsbury. The Long Mynd produced a good tally of Golden Plover where Rob Dowley had located a great flock of Golden Plover (I counted 196 twice!) in bracken stubble just west of Pole Cott, where there were 20+ flighty 'difficult' Bramblings!

You know your luck is in when a Red Grouse flies over the Golden Plover, crosses the road and sits up for you , albeit at distance!

Cetti's Warbler, Heron, Bullfinch and Dipper were added at Venus Pool / Cound Stank...

Then a pictureless (bloody awkward camera error!) Priorslee roost, teamed up with John Martin, produced Kingfisher, Med Gull, Great Black-backed Gull plus a smart 4th Winter Caspian Gull! Moving on nicely to 86!

Lochindorb - local birds

The moors around Lochindorb have become a featureless place managed to please the shooting fraternity? There's plenty of Red Grouse but precious little else...

She's looking a bit grumpy, maybe because the chicks were running amok!

But after stopping the traffic, they were soon in a much warmer / safer place.

As her partner watched on, observing the 'green cross code'....

I think I'm gonna start a 'bird on a rock' portfolio? So here's my first offering Common Sandpiper at the edge of the loch....

And one of 100+  Common Gulls breeding on a nearby moor...

Scotland - Red Grouse

Red Grouse, I ought to ignore them? I've taken 100's and 100's of heads popping up out of the heather (and they really need to know better in these parts!). This male was clearly seeking attention? Just one or two more then?

Wandering closer to the roadside!

Raindrops keep falling on my head...

The opposite of a full frontal! Whatever you call that?

And a couple of obligatory closer crops...

No more Red Grouse images, I promise...

Bridges and Longmynd - Pied Fly etc

Heading to the South of the county, my first call was a Bridges. A Dipper soon made itself scarce but this smart Grey Wagtail was a different matter!

My first Pied Flycatchers of the year, several males and a couple of females were stubbornly in the canopy but at least one descended on the walk along the road - almost too close? 

Red Grouse on the Longmynd weren't new but this is the first to pop its head up and not disappear!

Another newcomer to the 2017 local list was Tree Pipit at Clunton Coppice....

Where I was about to be beguiled by my favourite woodland songster!