Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Western Yar birds

The last few mornings have been absolutely glorious with sunshine bathing everything in a soft light first thing. Yesterday morning I came across this Peregrine Falcon perched on the branches of the large dead branch opposite the Mill Copse pool:


It's a shame that the photo is so poor at that distance. I watched it through the 'scope for a good half hour or so as it preened and watched the various goings-on of the Estuary. At one point an early morning kayaker passed within metres but the Peregrine just sat and watched. It was still there when I left to go back home and get on with some work!

Paul Swain has been out and about, too, and has taken these photos in the last week or so:


A Curlew whose beak looks even longer than usual due to the worm that it has just caught!


A great photo of an Oystercatcher in flight - I regularly count 3 on the Estuary, but I'm sure that there must be 4!


And this is one of my favourite birds: the Turnstone. These are very confiding birds that often allow you to sit or stand right next to where they are feeding.

Finally....another poor photo from me! Great Crested Grebes are regularly seen offshore during the winter, but they're usually too far out to see well without binoculars or a 'scope. This one was fishing quite close to Norton Spit first thing yesterday:



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