Out and about in "Waders"
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Curlew - Numenius Arquata
They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills.
Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates with their long bills. They will also take crabs and similar items.
Curlews enjoy a worldwide distribution. Most species show strong migratory habits and consequently one or more species can be encountered at different times of the year in Europe, Ireland, Britain, Iberia, Iceland, Africa, Southeast Asia, Siberia, North America, South America and Australasia.
The distribution of curlews has altered considerably in the past hundred years as a result of changing agricultural practices. Reclamation and drainage of marshy fields and moorland, and afforestation of the latter, have led to local decreases, while conversion of forest to grassland in some parts of Scandinavia has led to increases there.
Population:
UK breeding:
66,000 pairs
UK wintering:
140,000 individuals
Unmistakeable with fine straight bill, long reddish pink legs and black and white plumage. Both in flight and at rest the long red legs are characteristic, but even if these are hidden in deep water, the pure white underparts and jet-black upperparts are distinctive enough.
Despite its different last name, the Little Blue Heron is probably a close relative of the Snowy Egret. It looks much like a Snowy when it is young, but molts to a dark slate-blue plumage as an adult. Generally wary and hard to approach.
The Eurasian whimbrel (numenius phaeopus) is a migratory species that may be seen in many parts of the world. It breeds in the sub-arctic, as far south as Scotland, but winters in Africa, Southern Asia and as far south as Australasia. I photographed this one near Belle Mare, on the island of Mauritius.
Due to the unseasonal rains this year for the past few months, the wetlands had developed a large area of reeds - almost 3-4 times bigger than what it was last year. That meant a lot more bitterns and Swamphens.
While I was walking on the road next to a large reed bed, looking for Yellow Bitterns, sighted 4-5 Cinnamon bitters nesting there. This bird flew right to nearby reeds and landed there briefly giving me this lovely shot and flew away to a far away larger reed area. Named after the rich cinnamon color of the body, this is a resident bird in India, but migratory for short distances within the country though. They are also found outside of India.
Its preferred habitat is reed beds on the edges of shallow lakes, wet rice / paddy fields, swamps and marshy areas surrounded by reeds.
Thank you so much for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.
These Turnstone birds are a small, stocky wader with a short stout black bill and short orange legs.
They can be seen all around the coast of Scotland on all types of beaches and will even feed along jetties and seawalls.
Turnstone birds have a varied diet but mostly eat insects, small crustaceans and molluscs.
Premièrement j'aimerais vous remercier toutes et tous pour vos merveilleux commentaires et favoris, ils sont très appréciés.
Kamouraska, Québec, Canada.
Plein cadre
De retour à Kamouraska sous un couvert très nuageux et même une légère pluie...
Firstly I would like to thank you all for your wonderful comments and favorites, they are very appreciated.
Kamouraska, Quebec, Canada.
Full frame
Back in Kamouraska under a cloudy overcast and even a light rain ...
Winter has two benefits...
Short Eared Owls &
Starling murmurations
Both impressive and welcome but in return we have to endure months of (mainly) grey skies and an endless sea of mud
This year throw in a lock-down and the concept that a Starbucks coffee constitutes a picnic...
Here's your £200 fine and do not pass go...
And all of a sudden this picture starts to feel like a computer generated construct of an alien being on some distant and fabulous planet
So I suppose if you're looking for hope amongst all the gloom and doom it's worth remembering this is of a quite common Curlew (not ET) and that the fabulous planet in question is in fact called earth
Let's hope we can all go and visit it again some time soon
On a small section of grass at the entrance to Weymouth Harbour - proved to be a better background than the adjacent short section of rocky beach. The bird didn't seem bothered by me at all, even though I was sitting up.
Coming into breeding plumage. One from the archives but re-processed using current methods. Taken at Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire
I went recently to see the whirling wader spectacle at RSPB Snettisham. This required a very early start to the day, cheered on by a glorious sunrise. As we walked from the car park to the shore line, thirty minutes away, we saw hundreds of geese overhead and wondered if we’d missed the display. Not so. As we got to the shore line, tens of thousands of birds took flight. The incoming high tide pushed them off the mudflats. As the tide receded, the birds all came back. It was totally mesmerising.
I took lots of photographs with the Canon EF 75-300 f4-5.6 111 zoom lens. I’m still struggling with the focus, so I ended up with half a dozen photographs I liked. I suppose that’s more than enough.