Venus Pool - Cattle Egret

 A tired and sleepy Cattle Egret was a nice find for Simon Twigger early afternoon today. It flew in, it preened, then slept and not much else! Rooted to the middle island, don't expect too much from the pics! Hmm, how come there a Goose photobombing every pic!

A touch of orange on the crown rules out a juvenile...

I forgot! He was chased briefly by a Cormorant!

Against all the odds, it surprised me by flying off at about 4pm, managed to get just one shot!

My second for the reserve, is it too much to ask for a return on Saturday all dayer?

Venus Pool - Green Woodpecker

After having had an adult quite close recently, a juvenile Green Woodpecker was showing well today!

An offbeat image!

Then probably the best angle to catch?

Makes a change from Shrike watching!

Whixall Floods - Red backed Shrike

Shropshire lifers don't come along easily nowadays, I'm averaging one every year recently (apart from 2021) No complaints at all really but this Red-backed Shrike was either too distant or too wet and bedraggled to celebrate with images!

Here's the distant selection in the dry!

Even managed to not include the prey just eaten!

As close as it came in the 'favoured field'...

As the afternoon wore on, drizzle turned to proper rain and fair to say the Shrike (which finally perched close by) was not sitting pretty!

I hate white sky but I suppose these 'damp pics' are interesting for artistic appeal?

You can only play with the hand you are dealt :-) But what the heck, Shropshire bird number 239 is all that matters

Venus Pool - Butterflies

I haven't really bothered with Butterflies in the arable field  so far this year, thanks to the unwanted attention from Clegs and Horseflies! Here's a few from a walk there...

Small Copper...

Common Blue (male and female)

Brown Argus

It's never too late to catch up with things!

Venus Pool - Aberrant Meadow Brown ab. alba

Some nice Butterflies about today but this aberrant Meadow Brown was the most interesting? A nice spot by Dave Chapman as we searched in vain for a wayward Clouded Yellow...

To get your eye in, here's a normal Meadow Brown...

And here is ab. alba from today...

The usual tawny patch on the forewings is replaced by white, as seen here front and rear,

Sadly no open upperwing images were possible and eventually after skulking in the depths of the grass it flew into the seed crop and was lost to view...

Never mind, another aberration for the collection :-)

Venus Pool - Green Sandpiper

 Keeping the flow of waders coming, todays bird is a Green Sandpiper. 

Must be the warm weather, every bird seems to want to bathe!

And after washing, an obligatory flap to dry off...

 

I'm sure my mini-glut of waders washing will come to an abrupt halt now!

Venus Pool - Little Ringed Plovers

An adult and juvenile Little Ringed Plover dropped in yesterday afternoon and they were still present today.

Here's the adult...

Juvenile

Which decided to have a wash...

Very welcome and wonder where they came from?

Venus Pool - Yellow-legged Gull

Not a lot happening today apart from an influx of gulls: 40+ Black-headed and 25 Lessers plus...wait for it, a Yellow-legged Gull on the middle island. I'll spare you the distant shots, it was all about the take off shots when it flew a little closer...

As you can see, in primary moult and a little untidy!

Nice one!