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!
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 ?
Returning from my south coast trip on March 31st 2014, the route home somehow took in South wales!!
... The highlight of this tour was of course a visit to see Gemma in Swansea :-) As she was busy until the early evening, I had to find something to do en-route? Well, with Cardiff Bay and a good chance of Bonaparte's Gull (2 were seen the previous day) it had to be worth a go.....
After a fruitless call and 15 mins wasted at Cardiff yacht club (doh) I crossed the estuary to Cardiff Bay! yacht club and found the parking area adjacent to it where local birders had been viewing the bay. It took 30 mins or so but eventually with a couple of local we were on the one and only Bonaparte's Gull remaining :-) Problem was - it was at least 400m away and strictly distant scope views! I could see it was working a line with other Black-headed Gulls not too far from the far bank - accessible via the Barrage - another short drive was indicated.....
There were at least four cranes on the far bank too! :-)
Down to business and here's some representative record shots......
Sorting out the Boney from the Black heads was fairly easy! A much whiter head with contrasting more prominent ear spot plus darker grey upperparts made it stand out....
The neat trailing black edge to the primaries was also clear, even at distance.
Plus the translucent outer primaries....
Putting it all together here - plus the black bill and flesh pink legs!
Whilst most insects were plucked from the water surface - quite a few came from aerial pursuit!
The most difficult aspect to capture was the upperwing pattern - just about managed here...
Against the buildings, an elegant gull indeed!
With rain starting to fall late afternoon, it was time top wrap up a great two hour session which produced two Little Gulls (adult and 1st winter). Here's the distant adult, nicely flushed pink .....
Not a bad image of another fly over 100m distant :-)
Plus two Med Gulls (2nd and 1st Winter) Here's the 1st winter...
off to Swansea and a tasty Italian meal :-)
To finish off on March 31st 2008, I'm sure nothing much has changed, Curlew at Venus Pool plus Dipper and Wheatears elsewhere in the Shire!
Back to base in Shropshire and with hopes of early migrants, I had an early start at Venus Pool. There was plenty of variety on the water, a Chiffchaff singing but nothing of real note. The high point was when a couple of Curlews made their way from the 'stump island' to the near grassy bank, about 40m left of the hide - a golden opportunity for a flight shot!!
Longnor was en-route to Titterstone Clee with a single Dipper sat on the stones waiting for me! A great opportunity to capture just about every angle you might want see.......
I knew it was too early to have any real chance of Ring Ouzel but you never know? There were quite a few birds to be seen however: Stonechat, Meadow Pipit and Wheatear in good numbers! I estimated approximately a dozen in the quarry and just as many elsewhere! They were quite flighty though, difficult to assess numbers. Males were certainly predominant but there were females too, some bearing colour rings.
Buzzards and a pair of Ravens displaying above plus a Peregrine flying through......
The final destination was Bury Ditches and yet another Peregrine was seen just the other side of Aston on Clun. Closely followed by a Red Kite approx 1/2 mile past Clunton on the way to the ditches (not a chance of stopping for either bird though).
A melodic welcome to Bury Ditches with both Yellowhammer and Song Thrush singing next in the car park, contrasting with the raucous tones of the large flock of Fieldfare (plenty of Thrushes still here) in the adjacent fields. The rain came so I opted not to walk up to the fort.
A great end to a fantastic month of birding - will be a hard act to follow!
Returning from my south coast trip on March 31st 2014, the route home somehow took in South wales!!
... The highlight of this tour was of course a visit to see Gemma in Swansea :-) As she was busy until the early evening, I had to find something to do en-route? Well, with Cardiff Bay and a good chance of Bonaparte's Gull (2 were seen the previous day) it had to be worth a go.....
After a fruitless call and 15 mins wasted at Cardiff yacht club (doh) I crossed the estuary to Cardiff Bay! yacht club and found the parking area adjacent to it where local birders had been viewing the bay. It took 30 mins or so but eventually with a couple of local we were on the one and only Bonaparte's Gull remaining :-) Problem was - it was at least 400m away and strictly distant scope views! I could see it was working a line with other Black-headed Gulls not too far from the far bank - accessible via the Barrage - another short drive was indicated.....
There were at least four cranes on the far bank too! :-)
Down to business and here's some representative record shots......
Sorting out the Boney from the Black heads was fairly easy! A much whiter head with contrasting more prominent ear spot plus darker grey upperparts made it stand out....
The neat trailing black edge to the primaries was also clear, even at distance.
Plus the translucent outer primaries....
Putting it all together here - plus the black bill and flesh pink legs!
Whilst most insects were plucked from the water surface - quite a few came from aerial pursuit!
The most difficult aspect to capture was the upperwing pattern - just about managed here...
Against the buildings, an elegant gull indeed!
With rain starting to fall late afternoon, it was time top wrap up a great two hour session which produced two Little Gulls (adult and 1st winter). Here's the distant adult, nicely flushed pink .....
Not a bad image of another fly over 100m distant :-)
Plus two Med Gulls (2nd and 1st Winter) Here's the 1st winter...
off to Swansea and a tasty Italian meal :-)
To finish off on March 31st 2008, I'm sure nothing much has changed, Curlew at Venus Pool plus Dipper and Wheatears elsewhere in the Shire!
Back to base in Shropshire and with hopes of early migrants, I had an early start at Venus Pool. There was plenty of variety on the water, a Chiffchaff singing but nothing of real note. The high point was when a couple of Curlews made their way from the 'stump island' to the near grassy bank, about 40m left of the hide - a golden opportunity for a flight shot!!
Longnor was en-route to Titterstone Clee with a single Dipper sat on the stones waiting for me! A great opportunity to capture just about every angle you might want see.......
I knew it was too early to have any real chance of Ring Ouzel but you never know? There were quite a few birds to be seen however: Stonechat, Meadow Pipit and Wheatear in good numbers! I estimated approximately a dozen in the quarry and just as many elsewhere! They were quite flighty though, difficult to assess numbers. Males were certainly predominant but there were females too, some bearing colour rings.
Buzzards and a pair of Ravens displaying above plus a Peregrine flying through......
The final destination was Bury Ditches and yet another Peregrine was seen just the other side of Aston on Clun. Closely followed by a Red Kite approx 1/2 mile past Clunton on the way to the ditches (not a chance of stopping for either bird though).
A melodic welcome to Bury Ditches with both Yellowhammer and Song Thrush singing next in the car park, contrasting with the raucous tones of the large flock of Fieldfare (plenty of Thrushes still here) in the adjacent fields. The rain came so I opted not to walk up to the fort.
A great end to a fantastic month of birding - will be a hard act to follow!
