Tuesday, 31 December 2024

20241231 American Yellow Warbler, Leybourne Lakes Country Park, Snodland, Kent

 

20241231 American Yellow Warbler
Squeezed in a great bird on the last day of 2024, making 9 BritIsles Lifers this year,
 twice the recent average. A late rush. Clinical day twitch...

20241231 A Yellow Warbler
1st winter male.
Diffused with cadmium yellow throughout.

20241231 A Yellow Warbler
Olive green tones in upperparts.
Pale base to lower mandible and pale brown streaks restricted to upper right of breast
donote 1st winter male.

20241231 American Yellow Warbler
Bird spent most of its time in the Sewage Works, an excellent food supply.
Infrequently showed well in scrub along dyke.

20241231 A Yellow Warbler
Black eye in a very plain face indicative of species.

20241231 American Yellow Warbler
Species first seen on 17th April 1998, Boy Scout Sanctuary, Texas.
262 species in 2 weeks, arguably the greatest trip of all time.

20241231 A Yellow Warbler
Diagnostic yellow inner web in tail feathers shows in this preening shot.
Note white edging to secondary tips.

20241231 A Yellow Warbler

20241231 A Yellow Warbler
Yellow throughout... A 1st winter female is a pale greyish olive overall,
 a different ID proposition.


Tuesday, 24 December 2024

20241224 Hybrid Gull, Blakeney Quay

 

20241224 Hybrid Gull

20241224 Herring Gull
Paired with this bird. A shorter legged female argenteus.

20241224 Holding territory around Quay and onto hotel roof.

20241224 Hybrid Herring x LBB Gull
Slight yellow tone in tarsus of pale legs. May increase into spring?

20241225 Herring Gull
Black primary wedge.

20241225 Hybrid Gull
Large black primary wedge.
P10s mirror has fused with tip and P9 has a large mirror.


Saturday, 14 December 2024

20241214 Grey-headed Lapwing, East Chevington Nature Reserve Northumberland

20241214 Grey-headed Lapwing
Hiding amongst mole hills in grazing field.
Adjacent to main track through reserve...
Adult with red Iris.

20241214 Grey-headed Lapwing

20241214 Grey-headed Lapwing
Strong Westerley winds for 3 days and the bird didn't show as well as this again.

20241214 Grey-headed Lapwing

20241214 Grey-headed Lapwing
Rumours in the tabloid press suggest the bird has been in Britain for much of 2024...??
Where would that Point to in Norfolk....?

20241215 E Curlew
Abundant on sheep pasture here.
Several flocks of c50 birds.

20241216 N Lapwing
Hunkered down out of strong Westerley in recently well ploughed field.
No sign of a grey head...
The Grey-headed only loosley associated with the Lapwing flocks and sat away from them.

20241216 Pheasant
Whilst walking the desert of farmland lanes one comes across major dumps of game by the hedges.
Similar problems for wildlife as in arable NNorfolk...