Wild Swans

A sunny and frosty morning, although it clouded over after an hour. Dave got there before I did, and I quickly discovered I had left my notebook at home. I was keen to start adding birds to my photo list, but my initial attempts at a fly over Raven (image too small), and Fieldfare (out of focus) failed to make the grade. In the distance I picked up an adult Common Gull flying east; a very handy year tick but too distant to get a shot of.

I was nevertheless keen to practice photographing birds in flight in case the "big one" flew over, so my next attempt passed my very generous quality control criterion.

10. Rook

This is the typical view of Rooks at the patch. I really shouldn't put the next one in as the bird looked away to spoil what would have been a very nice shot. But what the hell, a tick is a tick.

11. Robin

Around this time we spotted a Great Spotted Woodpecker, which was another year-tick although I didn't realise it at the time. A number of Fieldfares and Redwings were feeding in the frosty grass at the paddocks, and with Jon Yardley approaching from beyond them I decided it was time to add another common winter bird.

12. Fieldfare (and Redwings)

The three of us teamed up and we wandered along the path towards the manure heap, which contained a good bird for the year, Grey Wagtail.

13.  Grey Wagtail

and also

14. Reed Bunting

This area held good numbers of Yellowhammers, Linnets and Reed Buntings, and among them we heard the distinctive calls of a Redpoll. It was seen briefly and confirmed to be Lesser Redpoll before the whole lot took off and we lost it.

As we reached the pool I suggested we try flushing Snipe to see if we could see any Jack Snipe. This produced 25 Common Snipe and two Jack Snipe. There was no chance of a photo as they were miles too quick. Jon located the Stonechat on the far side of the pool.

The flash contained 114 Lapwings and a Grey Heron, but still no ducks. On the return journey we investigated the tin shed and found several Barn Owl pellets. 

We think that some of these were quite recent, so although I understand that Barn Owls had a terrible year last year, it seems ours is still here. We investigated the contents of a pellet. I don't know whether the picture taken gives enough information to identify its grizzly contents.

The upper mandible of a rodent sp

So now to the exciting bit. Luckily I had got my camera at the ready as we were attempting to relocate a "brown" Bunting. Evidently Dave heard a single "honk" which caused him to look up and call to out to us. Overhead, 11 wild Swans were heading south. I believe they were Bewick's Swans, but I have to admit it was not possible to see any bill detail, so the identification has to rely on jizz. Fortunately I got a shot of them.

15. Bewick's Swans

We had a mid field discussion after they had gone, and decided they had looked narrow necked, and small bodied. Dave reckoned the honk was quite high pitched. So on balance we have decided to call them Bewick's Swans. A Morton Bagot tick.

I have subsequently heard that they were later seen flying over Salford Prior GP.

The day had not quite reached a conclusion however, and a final, rather more mundane, year tick was added when we found a single Coot on the dragonfly pools.

16. Coot

As a final postscript to the Swan episode. Dave has just phoned to point out an instructive photo in "Flight identification of European seabirds" and also to tell me he has read that a single call (as opposed to a multiple honk) is strongly suggestive of Bewick's Swan because Whooper Swan typically gives three or four calls. This is news to me, but after checking with the Collins Guide etc he is correct, and  it firms up the ID.