Willow Tree Wigeon

 

Mad March Hare Season

A Hare taking a moment on a frosty morning last March. 

A few more Kittiwake

 

A few more of the Deeping Lakes Kittiwake, from Tuesday morning.

Perfect Camouflage

Even when the Jack Snipe was out in the open and we knew roughly where it was, it was still surprisingly difficult to pick out. This photo really shows why. The mix of yellows, golds, browns and blacks in its plumage mirrors the colours of wet mud, dead grass and vegetation perfectly.

It’s easy to see how a bird like this can remain completely invisible in a tussocky meadow. Even in relatively open ground, your eye just slides past it unless the bird moves. That incredible camouflage is exactly why most encounters with Jack Snipe happen when one suddenly bursts from under your feet.

Looking Up!

 

Inland Kittiwake

 

A few of the Kittiwake I found Tuesday morning at Deeping Lakes. My second of the year on the patch and not a bird I see annually here! Perhaps reward for visiting every morning I can!

Jack at Night

The Jack Snipe has a reputation among birders for being one of the most elusive waders in Britain. Small, perfectly camouflaged and incredibly trusting of its own disguise, it often sits tight in wet, tussocky meadows. Most encounters happen when one suddenly bursts from almost under your feet — usually when you’re halfway across a boggy field wondering if anything is there at all.

Traditionally, seeing one well has required a fair amount of luck. However, modern birding tools such as thermal imagers have made locating them a little easier. These devices can pick up the heat signature of birds hidden in dense vegetation, allowing you to find species that would otherwise remain completely invisible. It also opens up the possibility of searching for them at night, when they are often more active and not tucked away deep in the grass.

On Saturday night, a friend and I decided to give this approach a try. We walked slowly around a boggy field, scanning with the thermal and picking up several Common Snipe along the way. Eventually we located the smaller, flatter heat signature we were hoping for — a Jack Snipe.

To our surprise, the bird proved to be incredibly obliging. Rather than disappearing instantly into the vegetation, it stayed out in the open and allowed us to watch it at close range. It even performed the species’ famous bobbing motion, gently rocking its body up and down as it fed. For a bird that is normally so difficult to see well, it was easily the best views I’ve ever had of a Jack Snipe.

Etton Firecracker!

Yesterday produced a nice local surprise when my friend Hugh found a Firecrest in a hedgerow just outside Etton. As soon as I heard the news, Dad and I wrapped up our walk around Deeping Lakes and headed over to try our luck.

At first there was no sign of the bird, but after a bit of searching we eventually picked it up moving quickly through the hedge. It showed really well at times, though as anyone who has tried photographing one will know, Firecrests are incredibly quick and restless birds. Sharing the title of Britain’s smallest bird with the Goldcrest, they rarely sit still for long, so getting even a few record shots felt like a success.

Firecrests remain scarce locally, with roughly annual records in the area, and I haven’t seen that many around here over the years. The real highlight though was that these were my Dad’s best views of the species, which made the short dash over to Etton well worthwhile.

More Cranes