Water rail

This is the third mud-loving bird I have posted this week.  The increased area of mud in front of the hide at Gosforth Park is popular with birds that we don't often see.  Water rails are generally fairly secretive birds but these are happy to come out onto the mud each evening.  This is an adult.

There are also several juveniles.

If and when we have some rain they will eventually move back into the reed beds as the water level rises.

Mudlark

A less common visitor to Gosforth Park Nature Reserve than the snipe I posted a couple of days ago, this is a juvenile lapwing.  It was fascinating to watch it on the mud.  It would walk two or three steps forwards and then vibrate one leg as it stood still on the other.  After a few seconds it snapped up a morsel, presumably disturbed by the vibration, and then moved on and repeated the exercise many times.  I then wondered if lapwings might be right-legged or left-legged but this one was using either leg with no preference.

A mudlark was someone who scavenged in the mud to look for items of value, especially along the River Thames in 18th and 19th century London.

The not-so-common common snipe

In normal circumstances in Gosforth Park we don't often see the sort of birds that like poking about in mud.  However, the recent prolonged drought has meant that the water level is very low and several more unusual birds have been attracted to explore the mud.  A few common snipes have been visiting in recent days and this one seemed either to be unaware of me or unworried by the noise of the camera.  I am used to hearing and seeing these birds at a distance but seeing this one close up was a chance to appreciate the beauty of its plumage.

A walk round the pond - week 28

I had the pleasure this week of twice walking round the pond with Dr Gordon Port, an eminent local entomologist.  The most numerous dragonflies we saw were ruddy darters.

We also saw a few immature common darters but I have yet to see a mature one.

Other dragonflies were common hawkers, four-spotted chasers and emperors.  Some of the emperors are looking a bit battered.

This is the first time since week 18 that I haven't seen any large red damselflies so I expect their season is over.  We did see blue-tailed, common blue, azure and emerald damselflies.

Cinnabar moths are still about and their caterpillars are all over the ragwort.

Butterflies we saw included small coppers

and common blues.

When we arrived at the pond a grey heron flew off.  I have seen it several times and usually it just disappears.  This one landed between the two ponds

and headed for the smaller pond before flying off once it saw we were coming in.

On a visit earlier in the week I heard a call I didn't recognise.  Eventually I found the source - a group of four green woodpeckers, at least three being youngsters.  The sound was the youngsters' contact call.  They were a fair way off but I managed this photo (poor photos are called "record shots", meaning that at least you can make out what it is).

A few more portraits

Shooting buzzards

Twice in recent days I have been buzzed by a buzzard while I was out looking for dragonflies.  I was carrying only a 300mm lens, which is good for dragonflies but wasn't ideal for the buzzards as they flew overhead.  It was useful practice as birds in flight isn't one of my specialities.  Focussing is difficult even with autofocus and exposure is also a problem with a dark bird silhouetted against a blue sky.  Still, it was fun to try.  Here are the best of a bad lot.  All fairly heavily cropped.