Thursday 9 June 2011

Escaping the Marksman

Yesterday pm group saw its first displaying drake Ruddy Duck in at least 3 years, and it was a new bird for the few participants who turned up! There was a female, so a new family may be raised before the whole family is wiped out during the winter cull. In all more than 50 species were seen during the day. There were other foreign interlopers, a Black Swan was seen by both sessions, whilst the afternoon 'crowd' also saw a Bar-headed Goose, which a Sheffield birder thinks may have the alternative name of Himalayan Goose. These 2 species are classed as 'plastic' birds, so they weren't included in the daily tally! A few Common terns were seen, as well as Pochard, but some drakes are starting to slip into their summer eclipse moult. Great Crested and Little Grebes were on their nests, and many small passerines were singing again before embarking on their second broods. There weren't many raptors about - the only example being a Copmmon Buzzard hanging in the wind. A dark shower began to brew in the afternoon, but we spotted it & were able to take refuge in a hide from where we saw: Little Ringed Plover, Shoveler, Gadwall, Lapwing and Avocets and their chicks.

Drake Ruddy Duck Displaying

Willow Warbler
Female Black-tailed Skimmer

ditto


ditto (c) 2011 Aileen Urquhart

4-Spotted Chaser - one of my wings is missing!

Gadwall (c) 2011 Aileen Urquhart

Lapwing

Juvenile Coot

Small Tortoiseshell

Immature Black-headed Gull (c) 2011 Aileen Urquhart


Insect


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