Venus Pool - juvenile Ruff

The waders keep a coming and I learnt over the years that singles are better than nowt! Today there was a juvenile Ruff on the pool or rather in the vegetation (which is where it was most of the time!)

Here it is emerging...

And holding its own, managing not to get stomped on by the locals!

It did creep a bit closer but never enough!

How about a Pec Sand or Curlew Sandpiper?

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?

Porthellick - Ruff duo

A bit of strimming of the reeds had worked wonders at the 'Sussex hide' end of Porthellick Pool and the waders were now roaming up and down the margin!

Two Ruff gave some fantastic views... Here's the smaller female

Followed by the larger male...

Then both together...

And as I tweeted, that's the size difference sorted then!

Porthellick - Ruff plus a few insects!

Spent a bit of time on terra firma today and this Ruff is spending quite a lot of time at Porthellick pool but was always distant as the pic will testify!

The Speckled Woods here (Pararge aegeria ssp insula) are more striking then on the Uk mainland with a much more 'orange' colour to them...

The Scilly Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina ssp cassiteridum) is another Scilly special.

Lucky to have this Emperor Dragonfly perched outside the Sussex hide (good spot Richard!)

And getting past their best, male and female Common Blue...

Nice to have the sun shining too!

Venus Pool - Ruff 'n ready

I'd taken more than enough pointless record shots the previous evening when this juvenile Ruff flew into Venus Pool... Most are now deleted as today, after quite a wait, it flew in a bit closer...

Viewed from the North members hide, it was hopefully just a matter of time before it came even closer still?

Pausing beside one of several Green Sandpipers...

And then running even closer :-)

Would have been nicer in the dark green water...

But I'll settle for these, given the previous distant dots!

Eventually, it slowly departed back to the middle of the pool

A welcome addition to the wader list at VP for 2018. The conditions are amazing at the north end, a 'big one' must drop in soon??

Whixall floods - waders hanging on

I was out all day on plant duty but that didn't stop me from seeing an early doors Black Tern at VP (it didn't stay long) and on return, checking Whixall floods where a couple more county year ticks were waiting! And Pleeeease excuse the dire record shots! What can you expect at 100m + distance?

It's only a Redshank! There will be more!

But you can never count on Ruff...

I walked onto the Moss until dusk, a Cuckoo seen in flight twice was my only reward!

Venus Pool - Ruff for the record

First bit of birding in Shropshire and a Patch year - tick within minutes of arrival at VP :-) Only a Ruff but with each new wader there must be something good beckoning soon?

Record shots in glorious dull sepia ?

There will be a closer one before September is out??

Norfolk day 3

Another relatively uninspiring day but the weather was gorgeous - clear blue skies and unseasonally HOT.... And I evn got a brief opportunity to catch a male Bearded Tit at Cley! Where the waders were not so plentiful but including Green Sandpiper..... Plus plenty of Ruff as usual! This male came fairly close..... Most of the action was in the sky with a family of Marsh Harriers interacting. Frustratingly distant but nevertheless, some great action..... Some creatures have no shame, I had to step over this copuluating pair of Common Darters!

  Then, taking to the reeds.....

  I moved onto Titchwell inh the afternoon. Nothing much had changed there! When all else fails, there's always a few Turnstones about! This one had a bit of an identity crisis or maybe longing for a Godwitesque bill? I was really hoping to get some shots of the wader roost but the Knot etc were really flightly and often disturbed by walkers/dogs...... Who cares, a pretty and idyllic end to the day as the sun dropped below the dunes...