Time to reflect.
These are some shots of Knot at heliport earlier this week - Howard
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| Knot |
Two of yesterday's Knot on the skear - Malcolm
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| Ringed in Holland in 2018. It has been seen here before in two previous winters. Recent history awaited |
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| Ringed in Merseyside 08/05/24. It has been sighted in three Merseyside locations and more recently at Barrow in January. This is its first sighting here. |
Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)
Just a quick passing check of the two main ponds was all I managed today.
Main pond:
Mute pair (no immature with them)
Mallard 8
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| This Mallard had a strikingly orange bill |
Tufted Duck pair
Gadwall 34
Teal 1 male
Coot 10
Moorhen 1
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| Some of the wildfowl, Mallard in the foreground, Gadwall, Coot and the Teal behind. |
"No swimming" pond
Mute Swan 1 immature, but it wasn't mute! It kept calling wistfully, presumably now an unwilling outcast. I tried to get a clip of it calling, but as soon as I got my camera out, it stopped calling, began feeding, and showed me its backside!
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| Tufted Duck having a stretch |
Coot 2
Little grebe 2 - one chased another halfway across the pond then both dived and presumably the pursuit continued under water. These are terrible shots of the leading grebe, but they do give a sense of the action.
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| Well.......it is a slow news day! |
Just outside the recording area - horse paddock behind Middleton Parish Hall (Malcolm)
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| Green Sandpiper |
Mallard pair
Redshank 2 together
