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.

Redwing - A nice Christmas present

Boxing Day morning was a lovely bright affair, but when it's Christmas and you have a daughter, it's difficult to get out bird watching, plus there was wine to be drunk. Fortunately for me the birds came to me this year. I had myself around a dozen Redwings visiting the berries on the trees outside my window. Unfortunately I couldn't open the window as they would take flight instantly, so I took a few pictures through the glass. I don't like doing this, but needs must.
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all a Happy and healthy New Year.

Moorhen

Quite often, those birds that we see quite frequently are taken for granted. I admit to that myself. I rarely point the camera at the Starlings or the Crows for example. But all birds have their own beauty. Such as this Moorhen. Close up, you get to see that it really has a lovely plumage, where from a distance it just looks black as it hot foots it away from you.

One beating a hast retreat.

Pochard

I found this lovely Pochard at Martin Mere while trying out my new lens. It really is a nice bird. I'm starting to find that new lens gives me a much better picture than previously. I can also get a lot closer to the subject

Whooper Swan

One of the joys of winter are the swans and geese that visit our country. The Whooper Swan is one such bird that I love to see. Probably because they are so easy to photograph. There's no skulking around in bushes and hedges. There they are right in front of you, as bold as brass. You can't mistake them can you? Well, not unless it's a Bewick Swan, but that's for another day. Here is the big beast in all it's glory.

This guy was a bit feisty and in mid argument.

A juvenile.

Something rather elegant about swans.

With a Greylag Goose for size comparison.

On take off. You can see the splash behind where the feet have been.

Pintail

I came across quite a number of wintering Pintail at Martin Mere. One of the smarter looking ducks in my opinion. The male is really handsome and the markings look very sharp. They also make a nice change to see on the water as opposed to our more common birds.

 



   

The female Pintail. A little less colourful (well, a lot less)