Saturday 14 December 2019

20191214 Kingjfisher at Daukes, 20191001 Kingfisher Cley next the Sea on high spring tide




20191001 Kingfisher
Male on sluice near village at height of tide.
No over topping this morning, only light wind.

20191001 Kingfisher

20191204 Kingfisher
Female successfully fishing in dyke by Daukes at dusk.

20191214 Kingfisher
Female now regular at dusk putting on a show for the Gullers.
Shot half an hour after dark, ISO6400, F8, 1/8sec, -1.0EV.

Tuesday 10 December 2019

20191202 Eurasian Eagle Owl Winterton-on-Sea



20191202 Eurasian Eagle Owl
Roosting in beech in grounds of care home.
Very tame but would not come down to a falconer with chicks.
Manager of home not happy with birders along the drive....

20191202 Eurasian Eagle Owl
I found that bird could be seen from a side road to west of care home, 
so moved the twitch here away from the entrance, and small minded manager.

Saturday 30 November 2019

20191130 Goosander & Coal Tit Selbrigg Pond



20191130 Goosander
 2, 1st winter birds on a mist covered pond early morn.

20191201 Goosander
Birds in better light at midday.


20191130 Coal Tit
Seeds put out for birds here.
20191201 Mute Swan
5 Cygnets still doing well this year. Down from 6...

Friday 29 November 2019

20191129 Caspian Gull 3rd winter, 2nd winter, 1st winter and Yellow-legged Gull of the NNorfolk Coast




20191210 1st winter Caspian Gull plate.
With congeners...

Gulling at Cley came to an abrupt halt in mid-March with the closure of the central hides and is still the case to date. This plate and ID pointers may therefore in some small way alleviate the ongoing pain and frustration felt by the Cley Gullers.

A few beyond the field guide bullet points depicted in the rangy male 1st winter Caspo plate:
  • Stand out white, small and rounded head even valid with large rangy individuals as shown here.. Best described as a 'Golf ball head' but with a long face due to the bill, and enhanced by a dark nape shawl. In combination this can lead to a pear-shaped description of the head. But this may not be that helpful as the reference to whiteness is lost.
  • Longer and more pointed wings than Herring Gull, one folded over the other creating an overlapped drooping tertial fan.
  • Note skeletal, form and stance differences between 1st winter Herring Gull and Caspian.
  • Note in top illustration the contrasting bill shapes between congeners, Common Gull and Black-headed Gull.
  • Overall washed out and tinted burnt umber tone to upperparts compared with the high contrast and heavy edging in Herring Gull. Described sometimes as smooth and concolorous but this becomes less helpful in bright light.
  • Nape shawl of 1st winter has heavily blotched streaks and is shaded contrasting with cleaner white head. Not seen in the shaded and blotched head and neck of 1st winter Herring Gull.
  • Note tibia can look short when the bird is hunkered down and standing in water. Otherwise when at a level with the bird the legs are thinner and longer than Herring.
  • Also, the 'hanging belly' is lost in the hunkered down posture but shows better when on a level with the bird in its more upright stance. 
  • Scapula anchor and arrow shapes are always longer and larger in 1st winter Caspian Gull.


 
20191129 Caspian Gull
3rd winter at roost on Simmonds.
Compact female type. Fine streaks on nape shawl and small white head.
Extensive white mirrors on P10 shows here on both wings. Pale brown coverts retained.
Spindly legs noticeable from this rear angle. 


20191129 Caspian Gull, 3rd winter.
The bird only briefly turned side on when moving due to facing into a Northwest wind.
Note large tertial fan and some darker centred on 3rd winter bird.
Snouty face developing with dark eye in a small head, atop a high bulbus breast.
Bill has large black sub-terminal band smudging onto greenish yellow base.
Adult Yellow-legged Gull centre foreground.

20191129 Caspian Gull, 3rd winter.
Compact bird and not lanky therefore thought to be a female.





20191109 Caspian Gull
2nd winter in roost this evening.

20191109 Caspian Gull
Suspect female as bill is not long and therefore not an obviously snouty face. 
20191214 Yellow-legged Gull
The stunning and regular adult this winter. 

20191103 Yellow-legged Gull
Hefty head and bill.



20191210 Caspian Gull
1st winter Salthouse Marshes.

20200124 Caspian Gull
1st winter, left side showing right wing primaries and tertials overriding left wing. 
Sheringham Beach.


20200124 Caspian Gull
1st winter, right side, Sheringham Beach.

Sunday 10 November 2019

20191110 Isabelline Wheatear NWT Cley Marshes




20191110 Isabelline Wheatear
Sturdy bill pose and Isabella tones.



20191119 Isabelline Wheatear
Short tailed jizz obvious in this shot and frequent tail dipping today.


20191111 Isabelline Wheatear
Gape bristles and sturdy bill.


20191111 Isabelline Wheatear
Taken at dusk at 4m.
Passed by golfing couple on the East Bank fairway...
"you're leaving your shot a bit late??"
Looks like a double eagle on the eighteenth.



20191110 Isabelline Wheatear
1st winter on shingle ridge by Arnolds Marsh.
Having taken shots of Snow Bunting, this bird, spookthehorse and 'other finders' came along the shingle ridge!!

20191110 Isabelline Wheatear
Excellent black alula.

20191110 Isabelline Wheatear
Extensive black on tail. A central tail feather seemed to be missing.
20191110 Isabelline Wheatear

20191110 Isabelline Wheatear
Showing extensive black on undertail pattern and pale underwing coverts.
19980921 Isabelline Wheatear 
1st autumn bird and surprisingly far North on Fair Isle.
Melodious Warbler was also found here at this time.
20191110 Isabelline Wheatear
1st winter bird at Arnold's Marsh Cley.
1st winter Northern Wheatear illustrated for comparison.

Tuesday 29 October 2019

20191029 Rough-legged Buzzard Blakeney and 20191112 Wells-next-the-sea



20191029 Rough-legged Buzzard in off sea towards Blakeney, loosing height in flapping glide.
Auto focus failed to lock when bird broadside... Unfortunately.
Always use MF with birds in flight...??
White upper and under-tail Coverts show well in this shot, forming a white surround to the dark banded tail.

20191029 Rough-legged Buzzard
Longer wing span to body than CBuzzard shows well in this shot.

20191029 Rough-legged Buzzard
Paler primary patch of Juvenile can be seen in this shot.
20191112 Rough-legged Buzzard
Over wintering bird just West of Wells-next-the-sea.
20191118 Rough-legged Buzzard
West of Wells-next-the-sea.
20191118 Rough-legged Buzzard


20191029 Little Auk, Red-thraothed Diver and MC-20 telecon Cley Beach



20191029 Little Auk
Good passage with many birds settling close in.
First shots with x2 telecon.

20191029 Red-throated Diver.

20191029 Red-throated Diver

20191029 Red-throated Diver
20191104 Red-throated Diver
Flight shots just as achievable with x2 as x1.4 telecon.

Tuesday 3 September 2019

20190903 Cattle Egret NWT Cley Marshes




20190903 Cattle Egret
Adult with retained breeding plumage.
Found on evening of 31 August.
8 birds still at Burnham Overy.

20190903 Cattle Egret
20190831 Cattle Egret
Yellow ochre plumes form streak down back.

Thursday 8 August 2019

20190808 Purple Heron NWT Upton Marshes


20190808 Purple Heron
Only the head showed low down from a reedy dyke.
Then the bird pointed head skywards as Bittern.


20190808 Purple Heron
Preferred to hold bill tilted up for most of the time.
Mature juvenile face and head pattern, darker crown and ear covert stripe developing.


20190808 Purple Heron
Bird moved up out of dyke revealing a brown body of  a juvenile bird.

20190808 Purple Heron


20190808 Pink-footed Goose
With 4 greylag near the same dyke.
Probably injured and summers now with resident geese.