Redshank

Redshanks, and especially their call, remind me of Norfolk and time spent with my parents, which is sadly few and far between these days. I always look forward to our time bird watching in Norfolk as I try to impart a little of my knowledge to them, so hopefully they can enjoy birding as much as I do. When I was in Colwyn Bay seeking that Purple Sandpiper, my ears pricked up as I heard the unmistakable call of the Redshank. Thoughts of my parents came flooding back and I had to locate them. When I did I just watched and followed with the camera as they skimmed across the sea and landed close by. Smashing birds.

 



Joined here by a Dunlin (centre right)

Just hanging about in the surf.

Sanderling - Hoylake

A bird that I concentrated on while at Hoylake was the little Sanderling. A wading bird similar in size to the Dunlin which was also seen in good numbers at Hoylake. In winter plumage here, it has a lovely silvery grey colour on top and an almost pristine white underneath. It is a winter visitor here but a little bird I love seeing all the same. So apologies if I've over indulged with too many pictures.

Purple Sandpiper - Colwyn Bay

I purposely went in search of a bird a week or so ago. A bird I'd never seen before but had wanted to for some time. I made it my mission to find it on this particular day, and thanks to some really great directions from a fellow birder I managed to track it down in Colwyn Bay. The Purple Sandpiper is a pretty dumpy looking bird, but I found it to be a fascinating one as it wound it's way along the rocks on the coast looking for food. It was mixed in with a few Turnstone, which really made my day. Another lifer for me. Can this year get any better?

Undeterred by the waves breaking on the rocks behind.

 

Seen here with a Turnstone. Very cosy.

Wader fest.

I've never made it to see the wader spectacular at Snettisham in Norfolk, but I did witness something on a much much smaller scale at Hoylake recently. As the tide crept in on the beach, thousands of small waders such as Dunlin, Knot, Sanderling, Redshank, Oystercatcher and others were being shunted off their dry ground and being forced to relocate to drier spots. The sight and sound was breath taking. Here you can see a small number of those waders squashed up on the beach.

 Not much room left here.



 Oystercatchers in the distance sticking together.



And they're off.

Dunlin - Hoylake

Waders are my favourite type of birds to photograph. I find them to be very photogenic. There are so many different types and each species has a variety of different plumage's. At Hoylake  last weekend I came across hundreds possibly thousands of Dunlin busying themselves on the beach as the tide came in. Within them was one individual that was in almost full summer breeding plumage. Very unusual for January but very nice to see all the same.
Lovely little birds that gave me great joy watching them.

This individual with the rusty looking back is in breeding plumage.

You can see how much it differs to the much duller grey winter plumage,

Coming to land.

Watching a Sanderling in the foreground here.

Buff Bellied Pipit

A nice early start on Sunday saw me up and out before sunrise. I headed over to the Wirral for the chance to see a Buff Bellied Pipit that had been showing well for some weeks. I turned up and knew I was in the right place when I came across quite a number of parked cars lining Denhall Lane. It took a few minutes before someone picked it out amongst the Meadow Pipits it was flitting about with. Another lifer for me. It's been a productive few weeks. Long may it continue.

 

 

Some of the birders that were in attendance very early this morning.

Black-throated Diver

2013 started with a rarity in the country, in the shape of a Black bellied Dipper and it finished with a county rarity in the form of a Black-throated Diver. Both very different birds and both gave very differing views. The Dipper allowed me to get nice and close to it, while the Diver preferred to stay well out in the middle of the reservoir it was sat on. Hence these very distant and blurry record shots. Still it was a lifer for me, so I was just grateful to see it and it looked great in all its glory through the bins.

Pied Wagtail (Not White)

I came across this very pale Pied Wagtail the other day. It was bobbing around the fringes of a reservoir. It's paleness made me question whether this might be a White Wagtail. I sought the views of birders much more experienced than me, and it would be highly unusual to see a White Wagtail here at this time of year. This is a Pied, but one that put on a nice show for me, so I thought I'd share with you too.

Goosander

I do like the Goosander. It can be a real pain to get close too. More often than not it's on the other side of the lake or pool, close to the undergrowth and desperately trying to get away from you. I was fortunate the other day to get close (ish) to this female while out in Manchester. It gave some good views before, once again, moving too far away from my lens.