Sorry, Not Sorry

 Earlier today I took a walk down to the marine lake at West Kirby, I had seen some male Goosander yesterday but didn't have my camera so went back today in the hope of getting some shots. Unfortunately I was short on time and missed out on that score however I did manage a few nice shots of some Turnstone and a flock of Redshanks roosting on a pontoon. 

I was speaking to a guy who informed me of some other species I might be interested to see but they were further out on the lake and I didn't get to photograph them. He mentioned that a Shag had been spotted and I was fortunate enough to not only see it but to watch it fishing. The water was still and clear so each time it dived I could watch its progress under water and with my grandson along for the walk we enjoyed guessing whether it would come up with a shrimp or fish in its beak.

When asked what this bird was I had told someone it was a cormorant but I believe it is a Shag. The two birds are of course very similar and so although I am sorry for giving misleading info to that passer-by I am not really sorry because they are closely related and at the time we were chatting it was quite a way off, it was only when I saw it close up I realised my error. 

I love the way they swim, almost half submerged and they dive so gracefully, barely breaking the surface. Then when the return to the surface their dark feathers have a beautiful glossy sheen.

Anyway here are a couple of the images I got of the Shag. I will share some photos of the other birds in due course and I will be back by the lake tomorrow to see what is about then, as long as the weather is as forecast.

On The Move

 I think I am spoiling you yet again with this selection.

This great white egret is such a stunning bird and having shared the pictures in my previous post of the bird actually feeding these shots show it in the process of hunting and were all taken moments before it caught a fish.

In flight the egret keeps its long neck tucked back over its body and its legs outstretched but when hunting it keeps its neck stretched forwards as it remains focused on its target.

There is so much that I like about these images, the graceful shape of the bird with wings outstretched, the movement in the feather; as they are affected by the updraft when it lands and the way the ends of the feathers curl upwards as they act as air brakes, I like the blue tint on the feathers in certain light, and the warm glow of the wings as they are backlit by the afternoon sun and then in the final image I like the shadow of the birds curled neck seen through the wing.

It was hard to walk away as this beautiful bird continued to fish close by but I hoe you will agree that the pictures I have shared over the last few days have made it worth the time I spent observing and photographing it. It felt like a real privilege to be there at just the right time.

Gone Fishing

 Have you ever sat for hours on a river bank drowning maggots? (I mean fishing of course!) It can be a nice relaxing experience and it is obviously great when you manage to catch something but there can be long periods when you catch nothing but unless your life depends upon it you can walk away at the end of the day and wish for better luck next time.

For this Egret however his life literally does depend upon a decent catch so finding the right spot , at the right time is essential.

Although part of the heron family the Egret takes a different approach to fishing to the grey heron who will stand patiently in one spot (much like the dedicated fisherfolk on the river banks) waiting for a meal to pass by and then with lightning speed and great precision it will dart forward with its long neck and powerful bill and snatch a fish, or amphibian from the water. I have even seen one catch a rat and swallow it whole. The Egret on the other hand takes a more active approach and will stir up the water a little bit or flap from one spot to another, pause, search and then move on, or it will walk slowly , head facing down looking for something in the shallows.

The egret in the pictures above had certainly picked a good time to be in the spot he chose because while I was watching he caught 4 fish, all a fairly decent size. 

Just Great...

I had a really good spell at Mere Sands Woods reserve yesterday during a brief respite in the horrendous weather we've had recently. I watched a lovely Little Grebe fishing and saw a stunning kingfisher fly directly towards me before it looped off around the mere. 

Then at a different spot I heard the tell tale call of another kingfisher and and after a few minutes searching the reeds I spotted it and spent the next 15 - 20 minutes watching it fish. It caught what appeared to be newts, eating one and after killing the second he hung it on a branch possibly to go back for later. 

Although I managed to get a few pictures it was too far away to get a decent clear image. I will have to save hard and maybe have to sell some gear to be able to afford a better lens and get the sort of images a fellow photographer managed to get (but his camera and lens set up would have been around £17K so I would have expected the sort of images he was keen to show off). 

That being said I don't think you have to spend such a huge sum of money to get great images and I think these shots of a fishing Great Crested Grebe are proof of that. 

I think these are such regal looking birds and they are so sleek as they dive in search for food, barely leaving a ripple as they break the surface.

Little Egret

The bright white plumage really gleamed as this lovely egret took a few moments rest while out fishing on the mere at Mere Sands reserve. A fellow photographer commented that egrets are pretty poor (that's a cleaned up version of what he actually said) when it comes to fishing unlike the grey heron that was also fishing nearby. The two species do have different styles of fishing that is certain; while the heron sits sentry like with infinite patience and then spears fish with lightning fast reflexes the egret is far less patient, he shuffles about and disturbs the fish and then makes a grab as the fish scatter before him.

That being said this particular bird seemed to be doing pretty well for himself as he caught some decent sized fish (I may share a photo in due course) while I watched, the disparaging photographer had long since left however so didn't get to see how effective this style of fishing proved to be.

Commitment

The tide was high and these two guys were carrying on regardless of the fact that the fish just weren't biting.

They were after cod and had been fishing for an hour or two and apparently because there was too much fresh water in the river they'd caught nothing. In spite of the cold and wind they were determined to stick it out for a few more hours yet. I hope their efforts were rewarded.

Predator

This beautiful Heron was busy hunting/fishing in the River Glaslyn at Beddgelert.  It moved from rock to rock searching in the small pools out of the main flow of the river.

At the same time it was keeping a very watchful eye on the Buzzard which was flying just overhead.

#Fishing #Heron #Beddgelert #NorthWales