Marshide 14th Apr

I'm running behind again. The good weather means I'm spending more time out and taking photos than working them up! Last weekend I did a trip to Marshside. It seems unbelievable today, but then the wind was bitter and I really wished I hadn't forgotten gloves. Today I was too hot in a t-shirt - what a difference a week makes!

Most of the wildfowl have gone, although there were still large numbers of Pink Feet out on the salt marsh.

That was just a fraction of one of three or four flocks, so I guess numbers were well into the 000's, presumably gathering prior to departure.

A few Black-tailed Godwits were close to the hide, showing different levels of breeding plumage

I'm not sure I really appreciated that the feathers clearly change colour as opposed to being moulted. The smaller one is much more summery.

There were also a few Ruff around

I'd like to see one actually with its ruff, but there weren't any around.

A Shelduck

There was a flock of 50-ish Starlings feeding at the back of the reserve and I could see some to-ing and fro-ing on a particular flight path so I tried to get one in flight. The grey sky wasn't the best, but the back-lit wings are really nice.

A couple of Coot square up for a fight - they're facing two more out of shot.

There were 5 Little Grebes all fishing together, often very close to Nel's hide

I love it when they fluff themselves up into a little ball

You have to keep those fluffy feathers waterproofed

Although they were around, the Avocets didn't come out to play, but just huddled together in the middle of the reserve and a Peregrine caused a bit of a flurry at one point but it didn't hang around. The Black-tailed Godwits were still showing well when I left