A Stunning Display

It is hard to convey the full spectacle of this "murmurating" flock (I am not sure that is a word, I have just verbed a noun) of Knot and these pictures only show a small proportion of the flock as a whole. It really was an absolute treat on Tuesday lunchtime as the 10m Spring tide brought the waders close inshore to feed.

I had been out for a walk without my camera and was surprised to see a large number of twitchers gathering at different points along the promenade. I stopped to speak with a couple who informed me that there was a mixture of different species, including Redshank, Dunlin, Knot, Oystercatchers, Curlew and Ringed Plovers. Some I could recognise but others I was not sure of so it was nice to listen to someone who was in the  know.

Another couple of avid bird watchers let me use their spotting scope to get a close up view of the birds as they crept closer to the shore ahead of the tide. 

Spring tides happen regularly but 10m tides are not so common so when they do occur it provides a real spectacle as the number of species that feed out in the bay becomes apparent and it was not only twitchers but other walkers who stopped to enjoy the sights and sounds of so many thousands of birds.

Learning that the tide would reach its full height at 12:40 meant I had enough time to go home and get my camera and then nip back to take some pictures. The light was, as you can see pretty poor so it wasn't possible to get clear and detailed close up shots of the birds, a fast shutter speed was needed but that increased the ISO and then the grainy images were quite frankly very poor.

Instead I concentrated on some wider shots and although the flocks of birds were mostly wading in the shallows feeding every now and then something would spook them and with an incredible whooshing sound thousands of birds would take to the air and fly in the amazing formations you see above before settling to feed once again.

I think the majority of birds were Knot but I am sure there are others mixed up in there too.

I am particularly pleased with the first image which shows a large flock taking off and then the final image which has the flock starting to spread out with the wind turbines of Burbo Bank in the background, I like this shot because the flock of birds forms a layer in the sky which follows the lines and layers of cloud, the sea and the shoreline.

I feel really privileged to have witnessed this, had I not gone for my walk when I did I would have never known this was going to happen and now I know to look out for the next high spring tide so I can go down again, and hopefully next time the light will be a little better. But hey, I am definitely not complaining.
 

Triple Knot

Here is one of the first wildlife shots with my new lens showing three knot. Looking at these birds you wouldn't think they are one of our most colourful waders but that's because they are still in their winter plumage which is fairly drab. Even so they are lovely birds and we are lucky here to have large flocks that perform wonderful synchronised flying displays as they swoop and turn over the sand as the tides ebb and flow.

Seabirds

The pictures today are of some of the birds that regularly visit Hilbre Island.  I wasn't able to get as close as I would have liked and all of the above pictures were taken using a Tamron 70 - 300mm telephoto lens at 300mm.

Pictures 1, 2 and 4 are (I think) of Barnacle Geese, picture 3 are Knot and picture 5 is of Oyster Catchers. My favourite shots are pictures 3 & 4, let me know which you like best in the comments below.

Marine Birds

I was really disappointed yesterday morning because although there was great early morning light and mist rising off the fields I wasn't able to get out with my camera and today there was no frost and no mist so I thought the photo opportunities would be more limited. However there was a beautiful sunrise and it was a cold and crisp morning and definitely worth getting outside for an hour or two.  I joined the early morning joggers and dog walkers around the marine lake and took a number of pictures which I am more than happy with.

For today I have chosen a few pictures of some of the birds that I saw.  The first I think is a Knot, which had been feeding in the shallow edges of the lake I had tried to get a picture with it reflected in the water but as I approached it took flight,in this picture you can see the water droplets falling from its feet and I like the way the primary feathers are highlighted by the morning sun.

The second picture is of a Cormorant which was fishing in the lake, just moments after taking this shot the bird dived beneath the surface, it reappeared some distance away making a second shot impossible.

The final picture is of a gull that had been resting on the path around the lake but had been disturbed by a dog.  I like the silhouette of the bird above the Flintshire hills in the distance.

Remember to share the Facebook link and retweet on Twitter for a chance to win a mounted print in the draw on New Year's Eve.