So, you may have already seen the sunrise. Now. it's time for the birds, starting with a Dunnock on the path
Several Snipe were showing at Grizedale
Plenty of Wigeon around, too
And elegant Pintail
Loads of Siskin in the alder trees by the dipping pond
A Coot having a bath
A snoozing Gadwall
Now. I have to admit, I may have a problem. I'm addicted to the reflections of reedbeds and the saturated colours you can fill the frame with, as you may notice from the following pics, starting one of our brightest ducks, a male Shoveler
I love the impressionist backdrop for the dozing female
When she does show her beak, it looks like it's cast from bronze
A Teal
Mrs T has a stretch after a little siesta
On the woodland path to Lower hide, the tits were around in good numbers. I was photographing 4 Marsh Tits, and a few Coal Tits when one suddenly gave an alarm call. A second later, a Sparrowhawk zigzagged at phenomenal speeds through the trees at head height and only a few yards away - far too fast for me to catch on camera even though it came from the direction I was looking in. Fabulous to watch. Whoever gave the alarm earned their keep as the hunt failed, but I have no idea how they even saw the hawk that early. These are the photos of the Marsh Tits
A Coal Tit
There were at least three Marsh Harriers flying but not really close enough for good photos. I waited to see if there would be a murmuration. Loads of Starlings flew over the Causeway during sunset but they just went straight to the roost.
Thanks all
After all the times I've been there, I'm still not convinced I've ever heard (or at least recognised) the so-called distinctive call of a Marsh Tit. Mind you, I'm notoriously bad at songs and calls and have to hear something regularly before I get it. I see Willow Tits far more often and I couldn't say I've heard their version either, even though I can tell when one is in the area just from their contact calls.
I always think a Gadwall makes a good focusing test, if you can see the detail in that labyrinthine patterning
Sorry MC, but it seems the Dunnocks are coming out of the woodwork to protest against all the publicity going to the Robins. Whenever I saw a Robin it was lurking in the shadows, even when tempted out with food.
Unknown said:After all the times I've been there, I'm still not convinced I've ever heard (or at least recognised) the so-called distinctive call of a Marsh Tit. Mind you, I'm notoriously bad at songs and calls
I'm not very good at recognising calls or song in birds either but I find the Cetti's deafening sound with that typical single note followed by tiny pause before the burst start and the Marsh Tit's call the easiest - the Willow Warblers descending notes I can sometimes recognise but I'm still a work in progress when it comes to IDing birds by sound lol LM has to be one of the best places to practice sound recognition. As I remember, you are pretty good at separating Reed from Sedge Warbler sounds Nige which have to be more difficult !
Unknown said:As I remember, you are pretty good at separating Reed from Sedge Warbler sounds Nige which have to be more difficult !
Well, Reed Warblers are a constant background at Pennington in Spring! I now find most of the common warblers relatively easy as they are quite distinctive and I think there's a definite order about how musical their song is from Chiffchaff through Reed, Sedge, Garden, Blackcap and Whitethroat to Willow, with Cetti's out on their own. I also actively search them out in Spring, so I have made the connection between song and ID. Other than a few others, like Lollipops, Goldfinches, Great & Willow Tits and Song Thrushes, I struggle to differentiate them maybe because I don't seek them out by song.