Let me know when that tide's coming in won't you

Let me know when that tide's coming in won't you

Monday 17 February 2014

Stockport Rarities

It never rains but it pours. For the first time in a long time, I was able to get out onto my patch, albeit the majority of it was spent sat in my car due to the dreadful weather. However I was able to catch up with a local rarity. Three Pink-footed geese had been on the Church Lane flood for a few days and I was hoping that they'd be able to hang around until I could get there. When I arrived I could see a couple of hundred Canada Geese and a few Greylag Geese mixed in with them. Stupidly I'd left the binoculars at home, and I didn't have time to go back and get them in my small window of opportunity. I relied on my camera lens to pick them out, and I did that some 150 yards away. I usually venture to Martin Mere or Norfolk to see these birds. To see them just two miles from my where I live was quite amazing. Come again please.
Then, to my amazement, a bird was put up in the air by three incoming Mallards. It was quite clearly a Pintail, even without binoculars. I threw the camera up at it and hoped for the best. Two local rarities in one day. Birding doesn't get much better than this.

Pink-footed Goose



This Pintail flew towards me and then over me. A real Stockport Borough rarity.




The Pintail kindly came back, so I was able to get some very distant shots of it on the flood on Sunday.

15 comments:

  1. Thats a Pintail all right - and more remarkably that bright stuff behind it is sunlight!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  2. Amazing shots, and I haven't seen these birds before!

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  3. I see plenty of the Canada goose in my world but a pintail sighting would be rare. It flies as straight and sure as an arrow!

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  4. Magnificent photos ~ love the birds in flight captures especially ~ great shots for OWT ~ thanks,

    carol and artmusedog
    www.acreativeharbor.com

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  5. what a treat ... pink footed geese and the lovely pentail. Good for you!

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  6. Vögel im Flug immer wunderbar wenn man es erlebt..
    und dann auch festhalten kann...:D
    Wunderschön bin total begeístert
    LG vom katerchen

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  7. Love the pintail in flight...soaring above your head.

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  8. Excellent in-flight captures! All I ever see are Canadian Geese.

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  9. Great series, love the flight shots!

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  10. pintails are so elegant. and the pink-legged is awesome!

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  11. oh wonderful on the pintail; never seen them before

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  12. Isn't it fun getting out about about with a camera.
    Thank you for sharing your birds with us.
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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  13. That was an amazing birding day. That pink-footed goose is quite something and I bet even I could ID it correctly on first sight! Love the flight shots. Hope the nice weather holds.

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  14. Its nice when a plan comes togeather Adam, and its always good to get things on your own patch that you wasn't expecting.
    All the best , Gordon.

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  15. Have never seen a pintail before, but your shots are great, and after seeing this bird, could never miss it if one flies over. I definitely see why it is called PINTAIL.

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