Venus Pool - Bramblings

A midday call turned into a session with a good showing by a group of at least seven Bramblings in the woodland area. Four females and three males seen simultaneously was the max but there was undoubtedly more...

A couple of the females...

But concentrating on the males...

With this dark-headed male the showstopper!

 

Always best to get them off the deck for less cluttered background!

The closer the better!

A bit more time might spent might have yielded better but waders (at last) had dropped onto the pool...

Venus Pool - Pink-footed Goose etc

A pleasant couple of hours spent at VP this afternoon, produced good numbers of Sand Martins, at least 30 flying high plus a couple of Swallows. With the water dropping, the margins will hopefully turn up a wader or two? He says! The only bird of note, yet another Goose, this time a Pink-foot we ought to call Nelson as something seemed mortally amiss with his right eye...

I've tried to keep the pics tasteful by showing the 'best' side!

Apart from sleeping, a quick wash and flap...

Then a paddle about...

With a lot of territorial disputes going on, a bit of  'pelagic practice' - I even pointed my camera at a Coot!

And an obliging Little Grebe...

Both sides look good on this one!

It's becoming less busy at the moment so hopefully able to get out and about ?  

Venus Pool - Bewicks Swan finale?

The Bewick's Swan has been pretty much a regular fixture in the fields near the Riverside Inn since early January. Roosting at Venus Pool, it's never really given itself up in good light despite dropping in occasionally during the day. I joined Dave Chapman this morning for what might have been a last appearance? It will be off for the summer breeding grounds shortly...

Yet for now, here it was preening in front of the members hide!

Close enough not to need a converter and half decent light!

A quick drink...

Before paddling over to the far bank...

Lining up with the Mute Swans , I was hoping for a head on departure? It didn't happen...

One or two 'fly united'moments!

 And then gone (for now)...

Attingham Park - Wild Goose Chase!

Been a while since something decent came my way and after nearly nodding off at VP, some news from the local bird magnet aka Tom Lowe had me walking briskly to the car....

A Greenland White-fronted Goose no less! A 5 minute drive and I was soon walking along the River Tern where it was sitting down in the field across the river with a few Canadas.

What a stunner, as dark as they come!

It was busy feeding most of the time, here's a couple of brief moments when it's head wasn't buring in the grass!

As the light began to fall, by 5pm it retraced it's steps to the river where Tom had initially picked it up..

Shocking light but much closer, it was drinking water like it hadn't had any for days!

Here's looking at you...

Venus Pool - Bewick's early departure

An early pre-dawn start at VP paid dividends today with the Bewick's Swan clearly visible before the light got going. Eventually, with the ISO cranked up to 2000, photography was possible, against a backdrop of 75 Mute Swans. The rest of the 100+ gathering were on the fishing pool.

Here's a couple Bewick's / Mute close encounters...

Eventually paddling closer!

Then heading back to the open water near the middle island...

 It was now 8.30 and a few calls announced imminent departure (nothing else went)!

Soon reaching take off speed...

Mind your head!

Up, Up and away to the swan field over at Coundlane...