A lovely bright and calm morning down at White Sands early doors for my WeBS count, with a few Skylarks interpreting the late winter sunshine as an invitation to sing. It didn’t last long sadly, as low cloud quickly spilled over the estuary and the birds were soon silenced.
As at the Point of Ayr yesterday, wader and wildfowl numbers were fairly modest, although I think eighty six Curlews represents a record count for the species for me on this section of marsh.
It is often the case with birds that the most noteworthy news is the absence of one or more particular species and today was one such day. In two and a half hours I didn’t see one single raptor, one wild swan or one heron.
The swans are elsewhere, but the non appearance of any birds of prey is puzzling – perhaps the high tides have decimated the small mammal population. As far as the herons are concerned, Little Egret numbers did drop dramatically during the hard weather, but they seem to have picked up recently – so too the Grey Herons.
On a positive note, four Rock Pipits – two of which showed wonderfully in a hawthorn bush – and no fewer than eighteen Reed Buntings were counted at various points along the embankment.
My final task of the day was to count the swans around Shotwick area. Thirteen Mutes were feeding adjacent to the boating lake, but the highlight of the day was counting my way through the 459 Pinkies munching their way through the same field – a marvellous spectacle.
The ‘wild’ swans were at their prefered location near the Deeside Industrial Estate and as per usual they were not playing ball on WeBS day. Many were fast asleep and some were feeding with the bills buried deep in the grass.
Bill shape, the amount of black on the beak, the length of the neck and the size of the bird are all key features to look for when trying to separate the Whooper from the Bewick Swans, but I defy anybody to say this is straightforward – experienced birder or not.
Many of the key identifiers above are variable and when – like today – they are grazing or resting it can be nye on impossible! Eventually I settled for the tried and tested method of determining the total numbers of swans – eighty nine – before rescanning the flock for the species in the minority – the Whoopers – and just counting them – thirty four – and all you need then is a simple bit of subtraction and Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt!
White Sands 14.02.10
Mute Swan 1
Canada Goose 5
Shelduck 76
Wigeon 156
Teal 23
Mallard 7
Curlew 86
Redshank 58
Oystercatcher 17
Black-tailed Godwit 21
Dunlin 3
Shotwick Fields/Boating Lake 14.02.10
Pink-footed Goose 459
Bewicks Swan 55
Whooper Swan 34
Mute Swan 13
Until later.
As at the Point of Ayr yesterday, wader and wildfowl numbers were fairly modest, although I think eighty six Curlews represents a record count for the species for me on this section of marsh.
It is often the case with birds that the most noteworthy news is the absence of one or more particular species and today was one such day. In two and a half hours I didn’t see one single raptor, one wild swan or one heron.
The swans are elsewhere, but the non appearance of any birds of prey is puzzling – perhaps the high tides have decimated the small mammal population. As far as the herons are concerned, Little Egret numbers did drop dramatically during the hard weather, but they seem to have picked up recently – so too the Grey Herons.
On a positive note, four Rock Pipits – two of which showed wonderfully in a hawthorn bush – and no fewer than eighteen Reed Buntings were counted at various points along the embankment.
My final task of the day was to count the swans around Shotwick area. Thirteen Mutes were feeding adjacent to the boating lake, but the highlight of the day was counting my way through the 459 Pinkies munching their way through the same field – a marvellous spectacle.
The ‘wild’ swans were at their prefered location near the Deeside Industrial Estate and as per usual they were not playing ball on WeBS day. Many were fast asleep and some were feeding with the bills buried deep in the grass.
Bill shape, the amount of black on the beak, the length of the neck and the size of the bird are all key features to look for when trying to separate the Whooper from the Bewick Swans, but I defy anybody to say this is straightforward – experienced birder or not.
Many of the key identifiers above are variable and when – like today – they are grazing or resting it can be nye on impossible! Eventually I settled for the tried and tested method of determining the total numbers of swans – eighty nine – before rescanning the flock for the species in the minority – the Whoopers – and just counting them – thirty four – and all you need then is a simple bit of subtraction and Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt!
White Sands 14.02.10
Mute Swan 1
Canada Goose 5
Shelduck 76
Wigeon 156
Teal 23
Mallard 7
Curlew 86
Redshank 58
Oystercatcher 17
Black-tailed Godwit 21
Dunlin 3
Shotwick Fields/Boating Lake 14.02.10
Pink-footed Goose 459
Bewicks Swan 55
Whooper Swan 34
Mute Swan 13
Until later.
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