Great Northern Diver

I've been back to Redesmere a few times to see if I can get any better pictures of the Great Northern Diver. I hadn't been any luckier, until yesterday. It was a lovely bright sunny day, but it still took a 2 and a half hour wait for the bird to make it's way closer to me. It was worth the wait.

Great Northern Diver - Redesmere Cheshire

Last Sunday saw me leave before first light to carry out my monthly wetland bird survey for the British Trust for Ornithology at Redesemere in Cheshire. Usually at this time of year I am counting hundreds of geese, Mallards and Coots on this large body of water and the highlights are likely to be the returning Goldeneye or maybe a Kingfisher. This morning though had me hopping and a skipping a little more than usual. 

Not seen on my first scan of the lake, I started my counting and then moved east along the car park. The next look through the binoculars had me staring eye to eye with the instantly recognisable Great Northern Diver. Wow!!! Really not what I was expecting to see, but it was one of those joyous moments of self satisfaction when you find a good bird. I would usually make a special trip to see these birds each year, but here was one just 15 minutes from home.

The light at 7:40am was really not the best, but I ran to the car to grab the camera anyway and managed a few record shots. It soon disappeared from close view and spent time away at some distance. I've had some good birds here in recent years, where I found a female Smew and 3 White Fronted Geese and a Great White Egret stayed around last winter. I'm hoping for more like this and that this bird hangs around for a while.

Great Northern Diver - West Kirby

Some weeks back I headed to the Wirral to look for a reported Great Northern Diver. It had apparently been showing well for some time and giving very good views. The day I chose was grey and overcast, and by the time I got to West Kirby on the Wirral it had started to rain. Not ideal for finding a dark bird on dark water. Still, it didn't deter me. I was determined to find this bird and try and get close if I could. Easier said than done. There's not a lot you can do when a bird wants to stay out fishing in the middle of the lake.
I did the best I could, but the light, and anything else I can think of were against me. I had to settle for some more long distance shots. One day I will get some decent pictures of this species, and when I do I'll be over the moon.

Looney Tunes

An early visit to Castleshaw Reservoir, Oldham, on Christmas Eve meant I managed to see a Great Northern Diver (also known as a Great Northern Loon) for only the second time. My first encounter was back in the spring of 2010 at Carsington Waters in Derbyshire. On that occasion there were both an adult and a juvenile, but sadly they stayed well out into the distance, and the use of the scope was crucial. This time, I was much luckier as the bird came to within 15 feet or so of the dam wall where I was standing in wait with the camera. The largest of our UK divers had been on the reservoir for a couple of weeks when I visited. Unfortunately the light was not that great, so the shots aren’t the best, but at least the rain held off while I was there, unlike the arctic wind which nearly cut me in two.

The Great Northern Diver