On this day (April 16th)... in 2011 and 2013

Back in 2011 I needed Brent Goose for Shropshire. Lo and behold, like buses, two arrived during the early part of the year. Here's the second on April 16th 2011.

The morning started at Venus Pool and sat with Rob Stokes and Paul Burgess in the Memorial hide, I couldn't quite believe my eyes as I picked up.... a Dark bellied Brent Goose out on the mud in the middle of the pool!





I've waited years to get a Shropshire Brent and Venus Pool turns up yet another one for the year!! It eventually moved into the water and had a good wash.......






Before eventually swimming over for a closer look!





Landfall....





Always seeming to include vegetation in the way but occasionally finding the gaps!







I could see it was working it's way towards the main hide so nipped over there, just at the moment it flew onto the mud in front of the hide.....







The last pose before disappearing around the corner out of view....





A final fly around.....





And that's your lot!

Then back to the same day in 2013 and maybe the most popular bird of this series. The Spotted Redshank at Whixall Floods!

I couldn't get out until mid afternoon, the light was awesome so I went for a second look at the Spotted Redshank - which was in a very obliging mood :-)

Coming ever closer....

I know how you feel! A bit of a leg stretch.....

And then the wings!

Here's a little mystery.... How did all the fish he's eating get into a flooded field? Presumably connecting via a ditch or the nearby canal somehow?? All the fish I saw caught appeared to be Sticklebacks.

This has to be the largest Stickleback I've ever seen!

Then down the hatch! 

Such a smart wader and definitely worth the second visit!

On this day (April 14th)... in 2013

If you were to ask me which was favourite ever 'Wader' moment in Shropshire, this would be in the top three?! Not outrageously rare but on April 14th 2013 Spotted Redshank... in Summer plumage... at Whixall Floods...Phwoar!

Having spent the past five days on the road with talks etc, I thought the Spotted Redshank was destined to be a lost cause?  I was wrong....

There it was, as I arrived at the roadside floods.....

It came even closer too as I found a gap in the hedge using the car as a hide :-)

What a stunning bird and possibly a 'first' for a local Summer plumage bird?

There was a Greenshank present, quite distant on the opposite side of the road. A quick check of the Mere on the way home produced an Arctic Tern too!

Also on this day the previous year. Another stunning Osprey moment at VP on 14th April 2012

Plenty of birds about on the reserve today: Willow Warbler, Blackcap, male Redstart, together with the Wagtail invasion - Channel (1), Yellow (6), White(5) and Pied (7) viewed from the causeway. It was not turning out to to be a day for images but all that changed at 3.30 with a familiar sight gliding in from the South - OSPREY!!!

It circled a couple of times.....





Before hovering, eyes intently looking down (were there any fish left after the drought and Cormorant trawls?)







A close check of the images showed that the left leg was ringed (I've inset a close up from this image - white KR)....




Clearly visible in all of these too!





I've emailed Roy Dennis for any history on this particular Osprey. What I do know from a brief web trawl is that it was seen at Carsington Water on 5th May 2011!





Anyone sat in the North hide would probably have fallen off the bench at this moment in time! I took this image from the causeway but even at 400m distance you can see the Osprey is clutching a tiny Roach / Rudd.



It later relocated to a telegraph pole next to the road and flew off in the direction of Berrington Pool.