There's snow on the ground outside, but no sight yet of the foxes so I'm going to post a few stray photos from Christmas Day. These were trapped on the laptop and I was only able to rescue them today. The main reason for adding them are that there are several birds I've not featured here before.
But not this first one, a swan. It is the first 'in flight' shot though. A pair came past as we were walking on the path along the edge of the marina.
This next is (I think) a first for me. It's a grey plover, one of the numerous wading birds that were grazing in the shallows.
Grey Plover
The plover is displaying its winter plumage, and the identification largely relies on this in-flight shot which shows the white under-belly and darker plumage near the body.
Next up are some dunlins. Definitely a first for me. A small group of them were feeding, though I think these shots were taken at Dell Quay (just a mile away from marina).
Dunlins
Finally, a shot of a redshank. I did feature these in the previous Christmas posts, but this is a better shot. Also taken at Dell Quay.
Redshank
If I see the vixen, I'll post photos tomorrow. Meanwhile there's a shot from a couple of nights ago on the Fox of the Day page. But be quick. That picture will change tomorrow night. 😉
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
RobinL
6 Jan 2010Very nice shots. I got my first Dunlin this past fall as well.
gdare
6 Jan 2010Frankly I can`t see the difference between plower and dunlin, but this is probably just me 😀
I like that redshank :up:
SittingFox
6 Jan 2010Wader ID always makes me panic :insane: Well, with a few exceptions, redshanks being one of them!
Lovely shot of the swan!
We've got about 7in of snow here and it's still falling heavily, with near continuous falls forecast for the next four days. Thus, I too am waiting for foxes :wait: I have generally found that afternoons are better than mornings for snowy fox watching, but we'll have to see…
Flying Red Fox Blog
6 Jan 2010Wow a Swan in flight is beautiful :yes: I saw a couple of them flying over a motorway once, but we were driving too fast to catch them. 😛
Words
6 Jan 2010Adele, I was scouring through my 'Complete Birds' book last night to sort out the identifications. I think I've got them right (much easier with summer plumage!). Several inches of snow up where I am and it looks like getting worse. :smurf:
Words
6 Jan 2010Robin, thanks! It's always nice to spot something new. 🙂
Words
6 Jan 2010Darko, the dunlin has a longer and slightly curved bill. That's the main difference. These little birds do look quite similar though. The redshank is easier to spot 😉
Words
6 Jan 2010Mark, the swans came in just over our heads (you could hear and almost feel the wing beat!). It took me a few moments to get the camera sorted out. I was pleased to see them though!
cakkleberrylane
6 Jan 2010Very interesting – I lived amongst swans for the first 12 years of my life and don't ever recall seeing one in flight. It's possible the city clipped their wings to keep them on the river as they were quite a tourist attraction at the time.
Ukwildlife
6 Jan 2010Nice wader pics.
Words
6 Jan 2010Thanks Neil!
Words
6 Jan 2010Thanks Erwin!
Words
6 Jan 2010Lois, I don't remember seeing them in flight before. You may be right that when they are in 'collections' (even civic ones) they clip them. Very graceful to see.
Wulpen
19 Oct 2012Very nice shots