"Shooting" British Birds

[Lafone]

Was up at Slimbridge on 23rd June and while looking forward to seeing the progress on chicks for the captive birds I was also hoping to see wild youngsters and was not to be disappointed.

From the Hogarth hide I saw the crane chicks briefly but didn't get any shots, all the same it was a treat to see them wander out of the rushes and back in again.

From the Rushy hide I was able to get great views of a few Avocet chicks busy feeding at the edge of the water

while able to retreat under the parents the young birds are very exposed as they wander around, though their camoflague is excellent. Over a few visits during the day with the sun going in and out, they were not easy to spot, even fairly near to

Avocet parents were active in protecting the chicks, flying up and down to chase off other birds and calling out. Usually the black headed gulls dominate the soundscape there, but the Avocets were giving them a run for their money.

including getting into disputes with Coots sitting on their own nests



It was awesome to be able to get such good views of the chicks and even better than I had hoped for the day.



Also on the Rushy wild tufted ducklings were diving around and the Shelducks had also been busy



with the large family going off and on the water in style - very distinctive young birds.



Also in the area were offspring at different stages for the Canada geese, who were active in defending their goslings from all comers



The weather has certainly had a bit of an impact on this years youngsters, with goslings for the Greylags growing at pace,



and others just a few days old. Hopefully there is time for these quite late arrivals to get their weight and feathers on



The Greylag adults were certainly active, flying around and returning to the goslings after feeding

Other juveniles appeared, with a few pied wagtail youngsters searching for food

I was also pleased to be able to find Barnacle goose P07 and partner again, their goslings now getting their flight feathers through, patrolling down from the Discovery hide.



At the other end of the reserve I was also pleased to be able to find and photograph a juvenile heron hiding among the reeds near the Estuary tower

On Tack Piece the water had dried up quite a lot and there were a good number of cows grazing the receding banks and wading in the water. Small islands and outcrops had emerged along the water in front of the hides and on those I was able to see my first Green sandpipers of the year, first one individual



and then a group came in



An Egyptian goose swimming among fishing Great Egrets finished off a varied bird trip and a good looking Coot chick with all its mad feathers completed the day on the way back to the visitor centre.

 

[Prochilodus246]

Looks like a fab day @Lafone I really do love your photos of the avocets as they are a bird I don't see often enough. Nice photos of the various other chicks out and about with shelducks being a particular favourite. Really nice work on the green sandpipers as I've only ever had distant views of the species with my first encounter with the species being at my college last winter.

I'm awfully sorry to correct you but this photo shows a moorhen, not a coot:

including getting into disputes with Coots sitting on their own nests

View attachment 712319

 

[Lafone]

Looks like a fab day @Lafone I really do love your photos of the avocets as they are a bird I don't see often enough. Nice photos of the various other chicks out and about with shelducks being a particular favourite. Really nice work on the green sandpipers as I've only ever had distant views of the species with my first encounter with the species being at my college last winter.

I'm awfully sorry to correct you but this photo shows a moorhen, not a coot:

Thank you for the moorhen correction! Had coots on the brain with the chicks. You'd think I'd label coots and moorhens properly by now.

Was a super day, have to say I felt lucky to see the Avocets so showy, I've not had good chick shots before. I was surprised to see the sandpipers so close, but the lower water level creating those small sandbanks and rocky places in the water outside the hide on Tack Piece was a lucky break.

The Shelduck ducklings are a real stand out colour wise. I was looking up Egyptian geese as saw one of those and hadn't realised they were so closely related to Shelducks - their youngsters look very similar too.

 

[Lafone]

A weekend of changeable weather over the 6th and 7th of July, with torrential rain and 'sunny intervals'. On Saturday I headed first to Lakenheath fen where there were views of a passing crane as well as a hovering hobby though the light and rain meant shots were had but not for sharing. Some nice Goldfinches made the morning on a generally quiet reserve.



Not finding much to see, though the walk had been fun, I headed off to WWT Welney for the afternoon and was pleased to find some nice Mute Swan Cygnets and their parents.



A total of six were swimming around with a little of their white adult plumage starting to show



Further up the reserve came a call that usually makes up the soundtrack for winter - one of a few pairs of Whooper swans was busy feeding in the reeds. These swans have at least one of the pair who has lost flight... in this case when stretching in the sun, the swan showed a healed but obviously previously broken wing, missing most of it's flight feathers on one side. It's partner looked fully flighted. At least one of the pairs has bred this year.



I'd seen Whoopers remaining behind after migration in the starker light of April where one of the pair had a damaged wing in the same place as this one - the beak marking looked the same in a few photos I took. The damage looked more recent then.



At the far end of the reserve the reedbeds were busy with Great Egrets splashing down and feeding around the Shovellers.



and an adult heron flew in, followed shortly after by a juvenile which was fun to see.



The afternoon completed with a pretty Reed Bunting singing near the Nelson Lyle hide, a little Egret fly past, a brief Cormorant sighting and a diving chorus of Lapwings.

 

[Lafone]

After the changeable weather on 6th July it was more of the same in spades on Sunday 7th, with torrential rain, hot sun and a huge thunderstorm rolling across Frampton Marsh. In between the showers and taking waterproofs off to put them on again 10 minutes later, there were some lovely birds to be had. The site was quiet, but it was well worth being out and about.

The Goldfinch weekend run continued with a noisy group in the bushes along the main pathway



It was a good day to watch youngsters too with Black headed gulls feeding their growing juveniles

and Mute swans with cygnets in tow



Sedge warblers were busy singing away in the reeds and there were quite a few to be found throughout the day.

It had started as a good bird day but it was to get even better when, from the Reed hide, I was able to see the largest group of Spoonbills I have seen to date. Ten of them were on a spit within binocular and zoom distance, among busy Lapwing, Mallards and Cormorants. An amazing sight and as there were so many, it made for great Spoonbill sightings all through the day across the reserve. Wonderful stuff. After my visit 14 have been reported and more are expected as the Summer goes on.

After the storm the sky was obligingly dark to for in flight Spoon shots



The site has a man made bank offering nesting space for Sandmartins and the rain found them dancing around hunting insects across the water. Made for good things to watch when stranded in a hide for 30 minutes by the rain! In the rain break that followed, one landed on a fence near the banking.



The fence turned out to be a popular spot, with a nice Reed Bunting coming in to land after the martin had left.



Back along the path the heavy rain came down again but the Egrets were undeterred

After the rain eased and the waterproofs came off again, there were good views to be had of Black tailed Godwits feeding in the reed beds

and flying back and forth.



There were more than a hundred present and other birds in numbers included Oystercatchers, Avocet with growing youngsters and some nice looking Ruffs.

Just when I had thought the day couldn't get much better I spotted a small warbler fledgling among the rain soaked long grass

It started singing out and I had just managed to focus in on it's face as an adult swept in to feed it



the whole feed was done in flight, lasting perhaps a second, before the adult was gone again, leaving the youngster to regain it's balance and settle in to enjoy it's snack.



All round excellent day and one of my favourite days of the year so far.

 

[Lafone]

While I do enjoy every photo day out, some days you just get super lucky and get things you'll probably never get again. It certainly helps with chasing the shot, rain and shine and seeing what amazing birds and animals you can find, whether captive or wild.

Slimbridge on 13th July delivered an awesome day.

Having read about Oystercatcher chicks and having had great luck with young Avocets on my previous trip, I headed to the Rushy Lake and had my first good chick views. Super.

It's interesting to contrast the parenting techniques of the different birds when you watch them for a while. Young avocets feed in the water and spend much of the time by themselves (it's unsurprising so many are predated) whereas the young Oystercatchers were, like many birds, having worms delivered by both parents

Super to get good views and be able to spend time watching them from the hide.

A herring gull took a large duckling off the lake, causing a massive commotion (at one point a Shelduck had hold of the gull's foot but it was undettered) and making the reality of raising young in the wild all too clear.

After that lesson in predator / prey behaviour, it was great to find Barnacle goose P07 again and see the youngsters progressing



and to see the young Canada geese



Heading out into the reserve, there were juvenile blue tits feeding outside the Robbie Garnet hide taking the seed out of the long grasses which was fun to watch

The estuary end of the reserve was quiet and the Bluethroat was a no show, but the views across were lovely and made up for it and there were some great butterflies in the hedges on the way down.

Popping into the Martin Mere hide on the way back, I had my first surprise of the day as a male Kingfisher was perched on one of the feeding poles



It fed from the pond a few times and then moved to the other end. The pair of Kingfishers at the far end of the reserve have bred this year, so perhaps this was one of the brood having been driven off to find it's own home. Excellent opportunity to catch this beautiful bird.

I decided to spend the rest of the day looking for cranes and to see if I could find some chicks to photograph. I went to the Discovery hide, and was treated to a nice set of Tufted ducklings

And then headed up to the Hogarth hide. Opposite that the crane pair Ruby (ringed) captive born and tracked and her unringed partner Wilde (from an unknown location), have produced two youngsters. The hide was very quiet but I settled in and was then treated to a bit of a crane show!

First you have to hope the cranes are up and then you have to spot them - it's amazing to see how well they blend in given their size and colour



I was in luck however and the whole family came out.

There was a lot of wing flapping and Wilde the male was leaping in the air and calling out

The female then dashed around the lake, sending the other birds flapping into the air, clearing a path



before the whole family went dashing about in the water

After a while, the parents lead everyone back to the nest, with the youngsters still flapping away

You could hear the youngsters whistling and some food anbd preening was done and then half an hour later they set off again, this time at a more stately pace,



Wandering off into the reeds.



I find cranes really fascinating and being able to see and photograph the behaviour was fantastic.

Cranes running about with youngsters and a Kingfisher, a pretty good birding day!

 

[Lafone]

Some mixed weather for a few trips at the end of July. Starting with heat and lots of it at Frampton on the 21st. The reserve was not particularly busy and it was a day for retreating into the hides for some shade.

The temperature soared and a clear morning sky made for some fine views and lovely backgrounds for Little Egrets flying at eye level with the sea wall.



A kestrel was also hunting, a little far away for a really good photo, but I liked the angle



I've had some nice kestrels recently, it's certainly the season to see them hunting.

On the long path back from the sea wall there were some young Northern Shovelers on one of the ponds. The first Shoveler ducklings I've seen this year and it was lovely to see them with their distinctive bills.



There are some nice sandmartins and swifts around the sandmartin bank and a nearby hide treats visitors to views of them and the Spoonbills who spend much of the day resting on a small island in the middle of the pond. There were 17 Spoonbills present and for fan this was worth the visit by itself! They were soundly asleep (though I was to get far better views later in the month) so I contented myself with trying to get Sandmartins in flight with low to moderate success. More practice needed!



On the far side of the visitor centre lagoon a small Linnet was singing away in the bushes, my first this year. Handsome small birds with that striking plumage that makes their heads look larger than they are.



Next to the benches where I stopped for some water, a few Reed Warblers were feeding and singing near the water's edge



On the path back I spotted a bird in the reeds and managed to get a shot off, but couldn't identify it. Perhaps a young wagtail? I've had some juvenile pied wagtails this year but the head on this one looked a little different.

I know there have been Pipits around Frampton this year but it's not really the right colour on the breast for one.

 

[Lafone]

Back to Slimbridge on the 26th July hoping to see the young cranes close up again, but all had taken flight after the previous practice sessions and so were only seen in the distance. Great to see them flying with their parents though, even without grabbing a shot.

A good bird day all round with a good view of a Whitethroat

and some nice warblers singing away in the reedbeds.

It was a good day to catch up with this years youngsters, with the early juvenile Greylags washing their now impressive plumage



and young dunnocks near the bird feeders



The Coots were still busy producing youngsters



and it was great to catch P07 and partner and their maturing pair of goslings again though they took a bit of finding this time.



It was definitely a day for Egrets however, with lots of activity around the ponds and a chance to see what happens to dragonflies at this time of year



At one point almost all of the 10 Little Egrets in the pond near the Robbie Garnett hide were in the middle of a Dragonfly lunch

and it was quite something to see the speed and accuracy of them taking the dragonflies out of the air. There was less luck for the younger Egrets, who stuck to more basic fishing



Elsewhere there were some nice Cormorants enjoying the sun and presenting the 'iconic' Cormorant view which was much appreciated.

An enjoyable bird day with lots of activity to enjoy.

 

[Prochilodus246]

Two lovely days at Frampton & Slimbridge @Lafone

Your unidentified juvenile bird is a Yellow wagtail, with the adults being just that, very yellow. Your whitethroat is also the more uncommonly seen Lesser whitethroat, a very underrated species. Nice to see the sand martins making the last of their summer this year before heading back down to Africa. Good work on the dragonfly catching egrets. I must say I never get tired of photographing egrets, such a sleek and elegant group of species.

 

[Lafone]

Two lovely days at Frampton & Slimbridge @Lafone

Your unidentified juvenile bird is a Yellow wagtail, with the adults being just that, very yellow. Your whitethroat is also the more uncommonly seen Lesser whitethroat, a very underrated species. Nice to see the sand martins making the last of their summer this year before heading back down to Africa. Good work on the dragonfly catching egrets. I must say I never get tired of photographing egrets, such a sleek and elegant group of species.

Thanks! That's exciting I haven't seen a yellow wagtail yet this year let alone photographed one. I'll amend the whitethroat too, to be honest I hardly ever see them so was surprised and having the rarer of the two is very nice indeed. Great information thank you.

I love Egrets too and they are such great subjects.

 

[Lafone]

A good reminder than our zoos are a great place to find birds to watch. I managed to see a Kestrel hunting near the Penguin enclosure at Whipsnade a few weeks ago and get some good shots.

The bird was almost at eye level, hunting in the grass on the slope far below, oblivious to people having their picnics nearby (who also seemed obvlious to the bird). Interesting to see the lazer like focus as it hovered in the wind but kept it's head and eyes still and locked in on its target.



Over at Rutland water at the start of August the day started well with a nice dunnock near the feeders. It was an odd mix of sun and showers and the reserve was as good as empty. The more than 20 hides offered some shelter and shade though and it was a lovely walk around.



The reeds were certainly well up (in some cases obscuring all the windows in the hides) and the warblers were singing away

Out on the different lagoons and lakes it was a day for Canada geese who flew noisily between the areas throughout the morning



There were some lapwings a long way off on the lagoons but in a moment they were all in the air and in a frenzy of flying about and screeching a Hobby swept over toward the hide I was in, allowing for a not great photo but at least it was in the lens somewhere.



It was also good to see the largest group of Mute Swan cygnets I've seen so far this year, with 10 under escort making their way neatly around the algae on the surface of the water. On the land it was interesting to see the adults harvesting grass and laying it neatly out for the youngsters to eat.



And not a bird but there were some nice bumblebees busy in the flowers making the most of the sunny intervals - can't resist a photo of the bees and butterflies on a day out.



I headed over to Deeping lakes a bit later on the same day, hoping for a Glossy Ibis, but sadly none seen. But I did catch an Egyptian goose and juvenile, which was fun to see.

 

[Prochilodus246]

Very nice array of species from Rutland Water, which I'll be visiting for the first time during September as part of my first week at university. Really lovely photo of the white-tailed bumblebee on the field scabious. Sorry to correct you, but your hobby is in fact a juvenile Peregrine falcon so no wonder the lapwings were flushed!

 

[Lafone]

Very nice array of species from Rutland Water, which I'll be visiting for the first time during September as part of my first week at university. Really lovely photo of the white-tailed bumblebee on the field scabious. Sorry to correct you, but your hobby is in fact a juvenile Peregrine falcon so no wonder the lapwings were flushed!

Excellent and that's cool I had no idea it was a Peregrine, first one this year (wild) so that's nice. Good correction! Thanks. I thought the teardrop shapes were Hobby though the way the Lapwings went up it's not surprising as you say; best view I had of them all day that's for sure.

Was a fun day at Rutland, it's got the most hides of anywhere I visit and there's usually something to see. Good routes round it too and the visitor centre being in the middle makes for a great break half way in. It also shows the difference between bird watching where all the hides are great and bird photography where a lot of them are too high up for great angles but make for lovely places to grab action shots.

 

[Lafone]

Was also back up at Frampton before Rutland at the end of July as the lure of the Spoonbills proved too much.19 of them in flight across the ponds was a sight I shall certainly remember as a highlight of the year. I thought I was lucky to see a couple earlier in the year but every time I go to Frampton there are even more. It was great to see them splashing about in groups after they split up for feeding;



though a Cormorant fishing near the hide window ensured the Spoonbills didn't have it all their own way in terms of attention



It was another lovely day for warblers, with a chance of a close up views through the reeds making for interesting shots. I had hoped this was a Blyth's warbler, as some have been seen around the site, but it was more likely it was just windblown.



There were good views of other warblers near the hide facing the Sandmartins.



I very much enjoyed catching sight of young Avocets, growing up with plumage nearly at the adult stage though a little browner still.



The adults were staying close which benefited the photographer



and the good light was favourable for shots of Black tailed Godwits (not surprising - there are hundreds of them) in the water



and in the air with some nice flight shots available to complete the day

 

[Lafone]

I travelled a way to Strumpshaw fen on 3rd August. I hoped for another rare Bittern sighting and, on a hot day with a surprising amount of bird activity, I was lucky again. Further away than last time but still able to grab a flying shot. Super fortunate.



Elsewhere there were Great white egrets to admire and the Tower hide turned out to be a good place to catch them stretching



And then in flight



A young Grebe was swimming about. I wasn't successful in finding any 'humbug chicks on a Grebe parent raft' for pictures this year but nice to see the ones who have made it.



It was a good day for reflections too, with splashing Mute swans making their own waves for double reflections



And posing nicely above the mirror of the water



There were busy small birds around the paths with some nice Blue and Great tits on show.



There were at least 100 wild ducks gathered around the Tower hide, mostly mallards but among them a nice looking Teal



A more unsuual duck was happily mingling with the others. An escaped domestic or hybrid mallard? Some interesting colours on the bill in particular which looked like a bit of an Eider influence to me.

 

[Tetzoo Quizzer]

Escaped domestic; Eider hybrids have much bulkier heads.

 

[Lafone]

Escaped domestic; Eider hybrids have much bulkier heads.

Thanks, it's great to have people on here who help with bird id!

Nothing unidentified bird wise on a trip to Minsmere on 9th August. It was a bit too hot really for lots of bird activity, but it was a nice day out and the seashore was interesting between the shelving beach, crashing high tide and the looming Sizewell nuclear power station. The temperature meant people had gone to other beaches so the place was generally quiet once away from the visitor centre. A good wooden walkway through the reedbeds had a number of dragonflies zooming about which was fun to see.

A few birds were out and about with good views of Mallards, Coots and Canada geese. There were also a number of Avocets, though too far away from the hides for good shots. A few Cormorants were enjoying the sunshine though.



The highlight of the day was a flock of Common Linnets in the gorse and plants on the path just behind the beach, offering lovely views as they flew around singing and feeding.



Reminded me that you don't have to get a lot of photos to have a good bird day.

 

[Prochilodus246]

Thanks, it's great to have people on here who help with bird id!

Nothing unidentified bird wise on a trip to Minsmere on 9th August. It was a bit too hot really for lots of bird activity, but it was a nice day out and the seashore was interesting between the shelving beach, crashing high tide and the looming Sizewell nuclear power station. The temperature meant people had gone to other beaches so the place was generally quiet once away from the visitor centre. A good wooden walkway through the reedbeds had a number of dragonflies zooming about which was fun to see.

A few birds were out and about with good views of Mallards, Coots and Canada geese. There were also a number of Avocets, though too far away from the hides for good shots. A few Cormorants were enjoying the sunshine though.

View attachment 722830

The highlight of the day was a flock of Common Linnets in the gorse and plants on the path just behind the beach, offering lovely views as they flew around singing and feeding.

View attachment 722831

Reminded me that you don't have to get a lot of photos to have a good bird day.

I must say that I really like the shot of the linnet in the ragwort. Good to see the ragwort too being an important food source for finches and cinnabar moth caterpillars.

 

[Lafone]

I must say that I really like the shot of the linnet in the ragwort. Good to see the ragwort too being an important food source for finches and cinnabar moth caterpillars.

Thanks yes there was a great mix of plants there by the beach. Great colours on Ragwort too. Enjoyable place though I only visit maybe once a year.

Took a while to get a shot but in the end, having followed them around a bit, I sat on the concrete sea defences for around half an hour until they settled out of the wind for eating and sand bathing and then after getting them posing nicely, I fled into the hide for some shade! Small bird lurking, makes you glad you applied sun protection.

 

[Lafone]

Had a good day out at a couple of new to me locations on 10th August with a trip to WWT Arundel and the nearby RSPB Pulborough Brooks. Arundel has a large captive collection and I got some nice shots and there were also some good wild birds to see. Getting into the site was interesting as there were crowds of people on their way to the Castle, practising competitive parking and who could throw the most children under a moving car, but once past that it was a haven of bird song.

The captive collection is only part netted, gulls were busy screaming away in the Pelican enclosure and lots wild geese, swans and ducks were in the other ponds and on the paths.



One of the highlights of the day was seeing wild Cattle Egrets for only the second time this year - a large group was sitting in the trees to the right of the Ramscar hide. They flew back and forth across the lake a few times which was great to see.



as they are such elegant birds



They also prompted other birds to take flight including some nice Cormorants



In my experience, WWT sites usually have a good group of wild geese hanging about and the Canadas at Arundel were no exception.



There were a couple of well set up feeding stations for smaller birds, as well as a photo oriented hide - the feeders were busy with adult and juvenile Great and Blue Tits and Chaffinches.



I was wandering past a gated area when something caught my eye and I managed to grab a shot of a tiny Treecreeper scurrying up a tree trunk. Excellent moment.



I had plenty of time to travel up to Pulborough Brooks for the last few hours of the day. August isn't always the best time for busy bird life but it was a good way to get a sense of the place with it's winding, hilly, woodland paths and views across the wetland. A peaceful spot with a nice sighting of a Whitethroat and pretty Blackbirds.


There was also a 'not bird' of the day, with a Dragonfly in flight in one of the ponds.