Stubbers Green - Caspian Gulls

Stubbers Green, otherwise known as the newly adopted Russian state of Stubbgrynistan is surely one of the premier UK sites for Wintering Caspian Gulls on terra firma! I was hopefully going to add an image or two of an adult bird using the site to bathe and 'loiter around' as Gulls do....

The regular 3rd winter Caspian Gull was soon on the scene at 11.45 busy washing, preening and dozing, this bird stayed until just after 13.00.













A full moon ??






Paul Jeynes had joined me for a while before heading off to Chasewater? A shame, as being local, he's on first name terms with these Gulls - just look what dropped in at 13.35!! Wow - I feel a 'waxing lyrical' moment coming on - no apologies...






This really was a good looking Gull - pristine white plumage, that coal like beady eye and a poise/presence that oozed class! My first thought was (Bloody hell or something like that!) a classic adult Caspian Gull. It certainly is at least 4th winter, the black mark of Zorro on the bill plus tiny hint of brown on the primary median coverts (see the flight shot), maybe pointing to a subadult 4th winter bird?








It didn't actually do a lot but what the heck - how about some portrait poses.....










It flew at 13.40 (whilst I was busy with numb fingers trying to change a now full memory card!!!) I did at least get one shot as it circled overhead.....









I didn't stay much longer either, the 3rd winter bird returned for 30 mins or so before the Gulls all left just before 15.00 - for the Chasewater roost.....

Crosby Marine Park - Grey Phalarope

It's been a while but the shutter release button was red hot after one of the most memorable sessions (plus the most awesomely obliging bird) of recent weeks!

The severe weather of the past week was always likely to provide a bit of a Phalarope wreck and with several birds across the UK, it made sense to give the Crosby Marine Park Phal a go.

This was shades of the Pallid Swift (which flew over the car on arrival) - a short walk over to the small boating lake and it was..... immediately onto the Grey Phalarope busily surface feeding at the playground end - with everyone else frantically rushing from the other end of the lake from where it had flown!!











Grey Phalaropes are normally very obliging birds and this was certainly no exception! The gallery posed no problem with the bird happily feeding and totally at ease with birders and even the friendly locals with Pit Bulls and Staffs Terriers exercising nearby!
An atmospheric shot with everyone quietly rooted to the spot including passers by with prams.....






Every now and then it would fly off, on a couple of occasions, vanishing for 15 minutes or so but eventually always returning to this favoured spot.....










A chance for some classic poses - a reflection....






I tried my best to capture the 'droplet' effect after many a small insect met their doom!








I did say 'obliging' - a question of holding focus as it came ever nearer and with the sun now shining, the light was absolutely perfect!










The chance of a quick Shag was not to be missed either! Two juveniles were present on the main lake - not easy into the light!






The only Shropshire highlight over the past fortnight was good views of the very flighty Cetti's Warbler at Chelmarsh last Monday. Away days are much more fun - I may give Stubbers Green a go tomorrow.....

Stubbers Green - Caspian Gull

A virtually birdless Venus Pool and the regular Wrekin Firecrest 'no show' for photocall was all the stimulus I needed to look elsewhere!

Stubbers Green was on my mind again - one of the Midlands Caspian Gulls had shown there the previous day! Sundays are notorious however for disappearing acts - with tip activity non-existent. Fingers crossed I was on my way.....

There weren't many large Gulls amongst the 200 or so Black heads but there was one striking beady eyed character - yes, at the second attempt 3rd winter Caspian Gull! I was onto it as it waded out of the water - difficult light though for pictures - looking into the low winter sunlight! Nevertheless, I'm trying to get all of these tricky Gulls into my head and tried to capture the main identification and age pointers....

Must have been a good Saturday night - most of the time was spent sleeping something off! Note the very narrow white tips to the primaries.






The beady eye and long dirty greenish yellow bill - typical subadult pattern with smudgy black band rather than a red spot near the tip....






Check out the Herring Gull in the foreground to compare the very pale fleshy coloured legs of the Caspian as opposed to the 'pinker' hue of Herring - they were also noticeably longer.






A couple of wingflaps to give a good view of the upperwing. Clearly not quite full adult plumage with traces of dark brown in the coverts. The presence of distinct mirrors on both p10 and p9 primaries is usually confined to full adult birds. Typical 3rd winter would have a mirror on just p10 but all these features are general progression.








These images took nearly three hours to get! With an icy wind blowing, I was mightily relieved when I eventually got a chance of a flight shot!






A final landing over in the far corner....






And back into the warmth of the car for me - phew!! Hmm, a Shropshire Caspian would be nice!

Mire Lake - Common Scoter!

After the worst possible show of passage birds during September and October, astonishing that I should lay two County bogey birds to rest during the space of five days, in that 'quiet period' called November!!

The Wrekin Firecrest was followed by a Common Scoter at Mire Lake. The light was apalling, the bird very distant, strictly for the record but it's another one edging towards the County life-list 200!

Venus Pool - a wader!!!!

This wouldn't normally merit a mention but (you may need to be sitting down for this) there was a SMALL WADER present at 8.00am this morning!! Baird's Sandpiper, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper? Dream on Jim this was nowt but a winter plumage Dunlin - never mind - nice to see.






The rest of the morning (and early PM) turned into a Firecrest hunt - Yvonne needed this for a lifer.... A similar pattern as yesterday too, after a long wait, a long walk and then on return we had a minute or so of tantalising views as it worked it's way along an ivy covered fallen tree! This is one situation where a long lens is next to useless and whilst I struggled to lock focus in the poor light with the 'big one', Yvonne managed to get a record shot with the 100-400mm set up! And here it is......






Another YL Gull at Priorslee was the only bird worth a mention....

Wrekin - on fire!!

Met up with Andy today to have a hunt for the Wrekin Firecrest. He had seen it previously up the main track from the car park and as this was a sensible place to start, we gave it about 20 mins..... no sign!

Onwards and upwards then, we walked up to the cafe with a couple of mixed Tit flocks, plenty of Thrushes and a flyover Crossbill to show for our efforts and just a single picture of a Goldcrest to justify lugging the kit up there....






Lady luck was certainly with us well over an hour later, at the very spot we started at. Within seconds we had the Firecrest in our sights!! No chance of a picture amongst the mass of foliage however! It showed twice briefly before disappearing for good...

One big Brunchfast later (thanks to Jan) we checked out the Gulls at Priorslee lake - plenty of Lesser black-backed Gulls, a few Herring Gulls and pictured here, a single adult Yellow-legged Gull.






Venus Pool was still very quiet mid afternoon - a couple of pairs of Gadwall fresh in this morning plus the obliging male Kestrel!

Venus Pool - Kestrel Pair

A pretty unproductive day with a couple of hours spent at VP! Decent flock of c300 Golden Plover over again, female Pintail, large numbers of Teal(66) and a Green Sandpiper but not a lot else! After departing - what should turn up for Andy late morning? A 1st winter Med Gull and despite dashing back at midday - there was no sign!

Never mind, I gave it another couple of hours to see if anything dropped in? Nothing did, apart from a male Kestrel in the nearby Trees....






That was it I thought, as it flew off?






Only to ponce on something unseen on the ground - a huge leatherjacket like grub!










The next development was another surprise - I saw the male duck as a female flew in - landing on an adjacent branch!






What a sight - the male calling softly to the female as they sat there for several minutes. A couple of representative shots - not much variety as they sat swaying on the breeze!








Plenty of common birds being very obliging this weekend but where's the next rarity coming from.....