A sunny day at Leighton Moss (08 Jan 2019) - updated

This is one from yesterday … there is a bird in there, honest, and when you find the little beastie, you might want to double check the ID … it was a really nice sighting for my first visit of the year.

I knew it was there, but it took me 5 minutes to find it, even with people trying to describe where it was!

I'll add more from the trip later, although it will probably be tomorrow before I'm able to.

  • Is that a Jack Snipe I can see  !!      if it is then very well done spotting it Nigel;   there have been reports of one when we were last there but it had headed back into the long grass when I got to Tim Jackson hide.      Look forward to the rest of your photos but what a great start to 2019 !

  • Yup, it certainly is a Jack Snipe … well found and id'd. It was on the water's edge in front of Lower Hide. I think it had been showing even better before I arrived, but you can't help feeling a fool when it takes so long to find it while people are trying to help… even if I wasn't the only one who had difficulty!

  • I can see it but would not liked to have said it was a Jack Snipe but it or them have been showing well at Lower Hide, I will see if its still there Friday :) 

  • but you can't help feeling a fool when it takes so long to find it while people are trying to help

    lol Nigel,  same thing happened with me when everyone was saying where the Bittern was and took me a minute or two before i managed to separate its camouflage from the reeds  - as they say birds which are masters of disguise  lol   Let's face it,   it wouldn't be much fun if we found them immediately would it ?     ha ha !

    @ Jim,  someone gave me a tip last time I was at LM   -    think of Black Jack  (has a broad black centre head stripe which common doesn't have)    If you can see it foraging it has a very different action to Common;   a JS tends to bounce up and down like a Wagtail as if its on springs   LOL       

  • I had to enlarge the photo to its maximum before I could see it. No wonder you had trouble, Nigel. Incredible camouflage but glad you finally got on it.

  • Thanks Hazel I can see the difference now.

  • Thanks, here are some more, starting with a cropped shot of the Jack Snipe to show the bill, which is shorter than an ordinary Snipe. They also bob while at rest, although not continuously.

    I actually started at the estuary (as usual), where there plenty of Wigeon

    No sign of the American Wigeon while I was there, though, sadly. As compensation, there was a Curlew amongst them, feeding close to the hide.

    Mmm, a big fat juicy worm!

    What a great expression!

    There was also a lone Goosander - I'd say this is an adult female rather than juvenile, but....

    I'm not sure if the Shelduck can be said to be photobombing … or just mooning in the background!

    Apart from the Jack Snipe, there were loads of Snipe around, too. People say they're well-camouflaged but I don't know. I had no trouble spotting this one.

    I think it's paddling rather than swimming … and back on dry-ish land

    They were amazingly close, just a few feet in front of Grisedale hide and some of these are practically un-cropped or only done for aesthetic reasons.

    And this is Usain Snipe … they can run really fast, you know!

    Technically, I'd give myself 3 out of 10 for this, having chopped wing-tips etc, but I actually still like it, possibly because it shows the Greylags flying at or even just below eye level.

    An arty shot of a Swan against the light

     At one point, there three Great White Egrets in the air simultaneously, although not close enough to get all in shot at the same time. Still, three is the most I've ever seen at once.

    I waited to see if there would be a Starling murmuration and loads of birds flew over but they just circled and settled with no display. While we were waiting there was this rare sub-species of Yoga Cormorant. I believe it's doing the Inverted Newt Slight smile That aside, this is one of the reasons I love reedbeds in winter … the colours are fabulous.

    That'll do, although I have some Robins, etc for other posts!

  • A lovely collection, NIgel--thanks!  I've learned sooooo much from this Forum, something new nearly every day.  Who knew that Cormorants do Yoga?!  Whatever next?!

  • Great update Nigel with some fabulous shots. Our local Snipe are usually very hard to spot unless they fly off in panic, but then we don't have hides! LOL