I ventured to Burton Mere and Inner Marsh Farm in the afternoon, where I came across my first Whooper Swans of the Autumn.
Very majestic looking birds.
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Where the birds were big and white.
One of the reasons I decided to got to the Wirral for the day was that there had been a Great White Egret seen over the previous few days. I've seen lots of Little Egrets but never the Great variety. I headed to Parkgate where it had been seen previously. When I arrived the heavens opened in biblical fashion. Hail stones so heavy that visibility was down just a few metres. I chose to stay in the car. When it finally stopped I drove along the front where I could see two Little Egrets and a Grey Heron. Then on the horizon (that was now a lot further away) up popped the Great White. Through the binoculars I could clearly see the yellow bill and it's size was unquestionable. A life time tick for me. Sorry about the quality of the shots, but these are my record shots. I hope to get better soon.
A noteworthy tick! Congrats!!!
ReplyDeleteglad you got to see and record it!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! I love the first one! The scenery is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on these sightings and captures! I love the shots of the swans in flight.
ReplyDeleteA distant tick, but like you say Adam the bird just has to stand out in that landscape.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful feeling when you see one for the first time. :)
ReplyDeleteThat swan flying is just brilliant. From Findlay
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of the swan, - well done!
ReplyDeleteYou had more luck than me then. Failed to see a single whooper at Caerlaverock this weekend. Apparently the bad summer means there's a lot of flattened cereal crops left in the fields so they don't need to bother with the reserve as much :(
ReplyDeleteNice shots
It's very good that you saw and photographed the Great Egret - but I don't like the sound of all that hail. Did it mark you car?
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you felt! I've also seen my very first great white egret this Autumn! I didn't understand what I saw at the first, but then... wow.
ReplyDeleteI also love the swans on your beautiful photos!
Greetings Pia
enjoyed the scenery and how majestic to see the whooper swans in flight like you did; great captures Adam
ReplyDeletecongrats to the Great White egret. It is a very nice bird to watch. I have seen it abroad, never in Sweden. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your Egret sighting! And I love the swans, great flight shots!
ReplyDeleteIt's always exciting when you get such delightful surprises. I love the whooper swans. They truly are majestic.
ReplyDeleteTruly gorgeous birds! Lovely photos! Thanks for coming by my Camera Critters post also!
ReplyDeleteHi there - seems that egrets are invading the UK - this would have been a mega bird when I lived there! Having said that, its still a mighty fine bird to see!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to WBW
Stewart M - Australia
Oh yes and so nice to see them fly - beautiful big white birds and good shots :-D
ReplyDeleteEven at a distance the great egrets are awesome, aren't they? And the Whopper Swans: Never heard of this particular species before, they're gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThese are lovely Adam! These reminds me of when I went to view the Sandhill Cranes in TN last January~
ReplyDeletegorgeous, love how you captured the swans in flight
ReplyDeleteWhat a beauty in FLIGHT!!!
ReplyDeleteoooohhhhh I know these feelings well! The thrill of seeing them for the very first time, I then became obsessed! Even from a distance, they are beautiful and undeniable!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous flight shots of both!
I must tell you how flattered I was by the comment you left for me. I will be posting the best of the photos I took that day, today or tomorrow. I am not an organized blogger like my friends. He had fish for dinner and I captured it pretty well, if you want to stop back at my place to see them.
Many thanks!
Beautifully caught! Such noble looking birds.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of the swans ,nette
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the lifer! Remember pre-digital, pre-blog? Back when we were just happy to SEE birds (especially lifers of course) and didn't feel bad that we didn't get a picture? (Personally, I think your pictures are fine however!)
ReplyDeleteThese are fabulous photos.
ReplyDelete