Local Birds Pose for the Camera

A quick ‘whizz around the block’ produced more than I anticipated in terms of photo opportunities, but nothing especially unusual. It was nice to capture Fieldfare and Redwing and I got some nice action shots of Moorhen and Mallard at the local pond. And I finished with some nice images of Black-tailed Godwit. We enjoyed our walk out over the marsh and saw plenty of Barnacle Geese and Little Egrets there, and we enjoyed a confiding Robin and Stonechat posing for their photos by the road, the first of which is a decent contender for a Christmas card! The super moon was a nice way to finish off the day, but sadly no owls today. I tried the usual local places the following day but to no avail, but just before heading home, I heard the familiar call off a bird I been searching for these last few weeks. I traced the source and found the birds in question perched in a small tree right next to my car: Twite! Thrilled with my find, I then stalked the flock of some 40 birds in total as they moved along the shoreline, either feeding on seeds on the short grass on the riverbank or, astonishingly, on the tarmac road! Occasionally, they would fly up to perch in the nearby trees or on telegraph wires. I spent about 30 minutes trying to get the best shots I could, which often meant wading through mud on the shore to get down to their level on the riverbank – or kneeling in the wet grass! Anyway, after what I thought would be something of a downer in terms of birding/photography was suddenly transformed into one of my best Twite experiences for a long time. The photos speak for themselves, I think, and I’m especially pleased with the fore/back-ground bokeh. Sadly, I returned later in the day to find the flock had vanished; I was reminded how rare it is to find them at this site, especially on a Sunday morning with all the usual disturbance with the usual proliferation of  dogwalkers etc.

On 24th, I decided to go in search of a scarcity that had been reported earlier in the week. Unfortunately, the Barnacle Goose flock (in which it had been found) had vanished, and it took me the best part of an hour to relocate it, this time on the far side of the river. Anyway, having failed to find the bird in said flock in the morning, I retuned in the afternoon, this time with my scope, and this time pinned it down. It was, of course, a Todd's Canada Goose.