Llyn Coed-y-Dinas - Arctic Terns

Two Tern species for the year then with three Arctic Terns present. Same technique, manual focus all the way, same result..... for the record!

Elegant birds whatever the distance!

And whatever the background.....

But best of all when they bank or dive.....

My mobile got a little agitated at 5.46 precisely - something was stirring in Shropshire! Oh my goodness - Ring-necked Duck on the Mere at Ellesmere and it's a drake! I was on my way.....

BOB the Dipper

As In mentioned in the main write up, the Saturday cruise was memorable for more Dippers than ever seen in a day before - here's one of them.

Let's call him BOB eh? Is there an unringed Dipper in Shropshire?? I doubt it - or if there is then a net is probably heading that way soon........

Ahhh, so that's why he's called BOB!!

Heading my way.....

Then posing nicely!

I even got a mini ruffle!!!

Shropshire - Bird cruise

It wasn't a race, neither was it a stroll - just a cruise around a few Shropshire habitats with no nocturnal searches! Jim and Yvonne spent more than enough time at Venus Pool for a creditable 56 species to kick off the day. I can't be bothered to type them all! If there were highlights, it had to be the pair of Grey Partridge out in the open in the top field (no camera!!) and then on returning to the hide a Whimbrel......

....... and Dunlin which had flown in to join the (now visible) LRPs. This must augur well for next weeks 'all dayer' when it's hoped to beat the September tally of 78 species?

It was sort of downhill thereafter with some moments of excitement along the way! Dippers seemingly everywhere we went - at least four individuals!! Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Wheatear, Tree Pipit, Curlew and Red Kite on the Longmynd......

The Ring Ouzels had scarpered!  Never mind, Bridges was Pied Flycatcher central - I've never seen so many - all queuing up to have their picture taken (except it's a bird cruise and the camera isn't allowed to delay things!!)

Chelmarsh produced the only Cormorants of the day, plus Reed Warbler. Sadly the Cuckoo didn't cuckoooo! The Bridgnorth / Badger area gave us Red-legged Partridge (more difficult than Grey?? That's a first!) Corn Bunting

and yessssss a Kestrel after waiting half the day to see one!

Four more birds on the Wrekin took us past the 80 mark - three Wood Warblers, a Coal Tit and most unlikely catch of the day - a Sparrowhawk wondering how on earth he missed the plucky Blackbird that escaped? Unless you've done a bird race it's difficult to understand how exciting birds you don't 'expect' or plan to see are, when they just turn up out of the blue!

There was just one more bird to add - the Wood Lane Garganey ......

The final tally of a really enjoyable day, with little effort was 85. One day the 'ton-up' will come? Maybe May will see me sparking up enough enthusiasm to do it all again??

I took quite a few images of one Dipper = a separate post.......

Chelmarsh - Common Terns

I'd missed the Arctic Tern passage through the Midlands whilst away in Devon (not to mention the Dotterel on the Longmynd!!) so I thought I'd drop in at Chelmarsh, just in case.....

Couldn't believe it - two Terns :-) Unless they were Sandwich (and no way was that going to happen!) , another year tick coming up. I managed to get within id range and it was clear the nearer long (black tipped) billed, long legged long headed Tern was a Common Tern! Judging by the attention being given (when landing on a distant buoy) to the 'partner' these were clearly the same species!

A few record shots.....

Closing in on the detail....

The 'partner'.....

Ahhhhhhh!

As if all the other boxes hadn't been ticked, short tail streamers obvious here....

Arctic (and hopefully Black) to follow??

Dartford Warbler at last!

I'd developed a bit of a fixation in trying to find a Devon Dartie. Everyone was telling me how 'difficult' they were however and with so few birds, on seemingly endless areas of Heathland, I was beginning to question the point of all the time and effort put in? But that is why you go birding sometimes....

Then - at the fourth attempt and with only a 'tickable' fleeting view under my belt, I got lucky!

I had a small flock of Linnets to thank as well, they seemed to be giving an unseen bird a hard time which aroused my curiosity and guess what , it turned out to be this male Dartford Warbler!  He was standing his ground, feisty as you like and giving me all of what seemed an eternity but was probably 30 seconds, to take some images!

It was a bit windy!

Steady now.

After the Linnet stand off, a brief show lower down in the gorse......

and then gone..... I didn't find another but never mind - one is all you need - another target bird in the bag :-)

Snow on the beach in April

A change of scenery works wonders! With talks down in Devon and Somerset plus a break down there in between, there were quite a few year ticks on offer! Birding rather than photography was the aim of the game (for a while anyway!) Up to 29 Whimbrel at Bowling Green Marsh were a good start, plus female Garganey, House Martin, Swift and Sandwich Tern at Exminster Marshes on the 18th.  These were followed by Mandarin and Pied Flycatcher at Yarnold wood and Common Scoter (c60) at Dawlish Warren.

I returned to Dawlish Warren today with (faint) hopes of the Kentish Plover seen the previous evening, making a return? It didn't sadly so after giving the Bight a lot of attention as the tide dropped, I moved on..... To try and find some snow on the beach? No-one I asked had connected with the Snow Bunting seen on the Warren on previous days but I had a good idea where it was showing so tried my luck......

I even walked past the little blighter (less than 5m away!!!) Only spotting it perched motionless as I retraced my steps further away :-)

Confiding indeed and without taking liberties and just sitting still, the beach became a studio withe a variety of flotsam props!

There was so much rubbish to contend with - this was the only sand shot I managed!

It seemed to have a liking for wood and perching up - I wasn't complaining!

Every angle was covered.....

A brief flight onto a post and then back down again!

With the 1.4x extender on a 500mm lens, some close up work often became the norm but I had to be mindful of an ever increasing f stop....

One feather ruffle (I love these moments!)

Quite a session - I was joined for much of it by local birder/photographer David Land for this amazing spectacle! And never mind 'snow on the beach', out of the wind it was HOT and I had certainly caught the sun as I called it a day and yomped back to the car.....

Venus Pool - Yellow Wagtail

Whilst Summer visitors are not exactly pouring in, there is at least a steady trickle! My first Yellow Wagtail of the year, a cracking male was as obliging as one could ask for......

For once, the Gulls worked in my favour by flushing it off the mud and onto the grassy bank in front of the hide!

A clean background (the one and only chance)

Full frontal posing.....

Plus the rear view!

In search of insects -  and there were plenty!

Like this Hoverfly.....

Not to mention the odd Crane Fly!

The light was perfect and perhaps my best ever opportunity here?

A wader or two would be nice but I'm off to Devon for a week on the talk trail.....