20250709 White-winged Scoter& Velvet Scoter, Musselburgh Lothian

20250709 White-winged Scoter
First sighting of bird with Velvet flock of males at some distance...
Expertly located by 'Stuart the Bike', so shot away at flock, Big Black at 16890mm achieved ID.

 

20250709 Velvet Scoter
Noted that male Velvets came in close on seawall...
Is this the Brit Isles mecca for Velvet's, and shots?

20250710 Surf Scoter
Early morn of 10th, sea as a mill pond...!!

20250710 White-winged Scoter
Swam inshore to join male velvets diving for food.

20250710 White-winged Scoter

20250710 White-winged Scoter
Passing eclipse male C Eider on its way inshore to join feeding male Velvet flock...
The larger bulk of the Eiders body and head was obvious even at maximum distance,
and when the birds were roosting.
Note the broken nose shape of the White-wing's bill.

20250710 White-winged Scoter
Broken nose profile compare to the Velvet's smooth concave  profile.

20170127 Velvet Scoter
48 off Titch with EB Scoter. As good as it gets in Norfolk.

20161205 Velvet Scoter
With a record Long-tailed Duck flock off Titch.

20250710 Lesser Black Backed Gull
At the mouth of the Esk River early morn.
Intermedius uppers tone this far North... but strong bill and bulky.

20250710 White-winged Scoter
Larger and more rounded head with a very deep bill base.
Sea-duck just off the sea-wall!

20250704 Caspian Tern, Cley Marshes

 

20250704 Caspian Tern
Underparts.

20250704

20250704 Yellow-legged Gull

20250704 Caspian Tern
Upperparts. Short white tail with a couple of darker feathers...
Inner secondaries have slightly darker grey centres,
but overall the bird is in adult breeding plumage.

20250704 Caspian Tern
Loafing with Med and BHGulls.

20250704 Caspian Tern

20250625 Collard Pratincole & Yellow Wagtail, Frampton Marsh

 

20250625 Collard Pratincole
Obvious white trailing edge to secondaries.
Bird flew up and away high several times, but within 5mins returned to this island in the Reedbed 
lagoon.

20250625 Collard Pratincole
Taken at 3360mm optical equiv....

20250625 Collard Pratincole
Diagnostic Burn Sienna Underwing coverts and axillaries show on landing.
From over exposed image to pick this tone up, as it often appears near black.
400m across lagoon at 1014mm.

20250625 Yellow Wagtail
2 juveniles from Reedbed hide. Proof of breeding on res...?

20250625 Collard Pratincole
Against bright blue sky the inner underwing looked blackish and couldn't be retrieved.
This bird briefly visited the Cley Res early on 1st July.

20250620 Eurasian Spoonbill & Black crowned Night Heron, Cley Marshes

 

20250620 E Spoonbill
Ad collecting nest material.
For a second brood?

20250620 E Spoonbill

20250620 Barn Swallow
of Bish.

20250622 Black-crowned Night Heron
Off Pats and into NFW.

20250527 Marsh Warbler, Weybourne. Purple Heron, Cley Marshes.

 

202505027 Marsh Warbler
Male in full song of endless mimicry.

20250527 Marsh Warbler
Clean pale edging to primary tips and tertials.
Long primary projection.

20250527 Purple Heron
Adult in breeding condition.
First seen over Weybourne going West.

20250527 Purple Heron
In flight over Pats and went down on Blakeney Freshes.

20250527 Purple Heron
Classic flight profile, heavy keel, thin bill and large foot bundle.

20250527 Tundra Ringed Plover
9 on Pats this afternoon.

20250530 Marsh Warbler
From the teasel clump early morn.
Tertials pale edging shows well here, cf Reed.

20250527 Marsh Warbler

20250531 Reed Warbler 
In song Stiffkey Fen.
Delivered in a relaxed chortle... unlike the full on delivery of Marsh.

20250607 Marsh Warbler
Male in song, The Skirts Cley Marshes.

20250530 Marsh Warbler
Still delivering from the teasel clump, Weybourne reedbed.
Original image over exposed and retrieved in Elements 2025.

20250526 Eurasian Curlew yellow 7J, Cley Marshes

 

20250526 Eurasian Curlew
1826hrs Lt: 7J yellow flag over orange on tibia. Rt: yellow on tibia with metal on tarsus.
Propose the female with the tags... compare bill size and shape.
Birds soon went off NW.

Info provided by www.curlewrecoveryproject.co.uk: 7J yellow was released at Wild Ken Hill in July 2022 as part of a head-starting project. She has been seen around The Wash, Lincolnshire and Norfolk and twice at Cley.

20250629
Big Black at 420mm.

20250629 Black-tailed Godwit
Rt: 3 black Polka Dots....??
French?

20250629 Balckwit
Lt: black over white over red.
Is that a metal ring on tibia...?

20250525 Booted Eagle, Kelling Est

 

20250525 Booted Eagle
 Pale morph with central tail feathers moulted.

20250525 Booted Eagle
Off white upper tail coverts and pale band across wing into scapulars.

20250525 Booted Eagle
The Head of an eagle shows well here.
Gape extends back under the eye and chiselled face.
Comments on the heads of very pale miss IDed Buzzards along the Suffolk boarder are
interesting.... 'that's not the head of an Eagle....??'

20250525 Booted Eagle
Minimal kite like tail adjustments into wind.

20250525 Booted Eagle
Hanging in firm Westerly over Kelling Heath.

20250525 Garganey
Bagpuss Hide.