There's one bird guaranteed to quicken the pulse and that's a Goshawk. Here's some rather distant pics from today of a rather special raptor!!
Saturday 26 March 2022
Friday 25 March 2022
Venus Pool - Green winged Teal again
The Venus Pool Green-winged Teal is an unpredictable bird, either skulking out of view or just occasionally showing quite well! Today it was a case of the latter and the sun was shining!
Here's a couple of paddle by sequences...
Venus Pool - Ruff
A smart Ruff, first decent wader of the year! Shame it was rooted wandering the middle 'Stump island'. Just one pic will do methinks!
First of many?
Monday 21 March 2022
Whixall Floods - Cetti's Warbler poses
Lady luck shone down on me once more with the Cetti's Warbler calling and showing once more at Whixall Floods!
A magic moment, now where's that water Pipit??
Whixall Floods - Water Pipit
With the Cetti's sorted once more, what would be the chances of the Water Pipit appearing? Amazingly it did but I struggled to get decent pics of this rather scruffy specimen with the sun behind it!!
Never mind, they all count!
Monday 14 March 2022
Whixall Moss - Short-eared Owl
A Merlin flashing across the path at Whixall Moss today gave me no chance of an image but it was a different story for an obliging Short-eared Owl...
Never that close but never that far away! Always magical to stand there and watch...
Sunday 13 March 2022
The Mere Ellesmere - Med Gulls in the roost
Another try for the Kumliens Gull proved to be yet another dip with the only decent gulls amongst another huge roost: at least 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls plus 1 Yellow-legged Gull.
The meds were almost photogenic but given the low light and distance, a study in black and white...
Here's the first adults till developing it's hood...
Kumliens will have to wait then!
Saturday 12 March 2022
Whixall Moss - Marsh Harrier
Two down from the other day and one to go? I was alerted by a short show of aerial combat between the Black-headed Gulls and what could only be a Marsh Harrier! And of course it was.... Distant!
Never an easy bird in Shropshire...
Thursday 10 March 2022
Whixall Moss - Hen Harrier and Short eared Owl
Three good birds were on the cards with a bit of effort at Whixall Moss and I'll settle for the distant views I managed of both Hen Harrier (Ringtail) and Short-eared Owl! As for photographs, a non-starter really with both never much nearer that 400m!
Hen Harrier giving me five fingers to the primaries.