Murcia Tidy Up

Post Trip Tidy Up - 30.9.19

Although return bird migration didn't match my expectation being very quiet, perhaps my visit was early or, possibly late I don't know but it's alway good to travel the Murcia and enjoy the usually fine weather.

I'm still going through the hundreds of images from the trip and any wothwhile images not included in earlier posts I will include here, but in the interim here's an image of a Little Stint which are pretty common on the salinas.

Little Stint

The story behind the stint images...the wader was feeding in some very sticky mud, the only way the bird could free its legs was too flap it's wings to lift itself out of the mud, it could then move and carry on feeding.

Click image to view....

Dunlin - summer plumage

Ruff - something in the eye I believe ?

Storm Driven Phalarope

Clowbridge Resevoir, Lancashire - 27.9.18

Typical I'm down in southern Spain which is proving to be a little disappointing bird wise and back in the UK there's some mega views of a Grey Phalarope at Crosby Marina, hopefully it will stick around until my return on Wednesday.

Grey Phalarope, or Red Phalarope, named after it's winter grey plumage colour, and you've probably guessed red in summer it's less know name. A small wader about the size of a Song Thrush breeds in the Artic Tundra and spending it's winter entirely in the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of west and eastern Africa. During autumn small numbers of these birds get storm driven onto the coast of the west side of the UK sometimes inland where there's water present.

Now back home it appears the phalarope at Crosby departed on Tuesday so I'm a little disappointed given the reported very close views, but looking on the internet another Grey Phalarope has turned up this time at Clowbridge Reservoir which is less than ten miles from the house. Usually moorland reservoirs are featureless with large expanses of water never one of my favourite venues, but it's a great day with warm sunny intervals so I decide to go for it.

Parking at the north end l head off down the track to the res and along to where the bird was seen yesterday, there's already a birder there and I stop for a chat, he must have been a mind reader and says..."I've not see it" We have a quick chat and I sit down on the wall scanning the small bay, a couple of wagtails are feeding amongst the white froth that's been whipped up by the wind along the waters edge, then I spot a wader not much bigger than the wagtails......got it !...I call to the other birder, he says thanks "thats the benefit of having more eyes looking".

The phalarope is feeding up and down the small bay, with only me and the other birder present I make my way down to the waters edge and wait for the bird to return fro the far side of the bay, at times it's too close and I constantly have to move back. It's always a cluttered shot but occasionally the phalarope ventures into the water giving the opportunity for an alternative shot.

My camera memory card is now full and as I turn around to change the card there now must be ten birders present so I 'm please to have had the three hours earlier all to my self. Returning to the bank I see and chat with CB who lives locally and was the original finder.

Not wanting to disturb the bird for other birders viewing I remain on the bank and chat when the phalarope takes to the water eventually taking flight to the other side of the reservoir. Now with so many birder present I decide to call time on the session happy that I made the effort to arrive early and the time spent alone with the Grey Phalarope, a bird that should be enjoying sunshine off the African coast

Click image to view...

Grey Phalarope (winter) or some times - Red Phalarope (summer)

Last Wader Day

24.9.18 - Salinas de San Pedro

I'd seen an odd Black Tailed Godwith a few days earlier in the corner of the first stop off pool but I was never successful in getting near for some decent images, today its again in the same location but the sun angle is wrong so I'm not too interested, in any case the last time I'd tried to get a low angle shot I landed up in an altercation with a reserve staff member so I'm still looking to keep in the good books with the reserve, I decide to move on.

Now I'm at the location where Little Terns breed during the summer I decide just to sit, wait and enjoy the sights and sounds of the salinas, then in fly's a Black Tailed Godwit from further down the pool probably the same one seen earlier, this time the Godwit lands on its own terms quite near with the sun angle being just about right.

Not having to use stealth creeping about too get close the Godwit happily carries on on feeding, it slowly gets closer and closer, I amazed that the occasional jogger docent send the bird scuttling to the other side of the salinas which always seems to be the case when I'm wheeling about a big camera lens. From time to time lorries pass on the adjacent road casting the colour red on to the water, in one or two of the other images the reflection is green, not photoshop or anything sneaky like that.

After a very slow start to the morning I get some decent images of a wader that has always seemed to have evaded me in the past by being too distant.

Time to try my luck further on

Black-tailed Godwit

The next four images show some interesting behaviour. 

As the Godwit was feeding, another Black Tailed Godwit landed quite close further down the pool, as it got nearer this particular Godwit started calling and displaying by hunching down in the water lower and lower until it was almost submerged. 

Eventually the other Godwit was seen off by a jogger and normal feeding activity resumed