The temperatures are remarkably mild for this time of year, so mild they make one wonder what they will be like in the summer. In the morning however, it can still be quite cold, especially when there's a strong breeze, like today.
I had visited this place before with a newbie birder, but now I was curious to see what birds were present in the first month of the year.
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| Common Sandpiper catching breakfast |
As expected the most present birds were waders like Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel and Turnstone. The best way to have these birds as close as possible to your camera is just to wait until they approach you. That can be a bit difficult at times because there can be quite a lot of people walking or running around this track, but in the end patience always pays off.
I was hoping to get some decent shots of the flamingos, of which I saw more than a dozen, but either the angle or the distance were not optimal. I did take a photo which I prepared for print later, changing the colour of the water and turning it into something more dramatic.
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| Artistic impression of three Greater Flamingos |
I took several traditional photos of the other, mainly wader, birds and had fun watching a Common Sandpiper catch its breakfast. |
| Common Sandpiper catching a delicacy … |
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| … and a little dessert maybe? |
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| Redshank following its example |
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| Redshank |
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| Kentish Plover |
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| Curlew Sandpiper |
I had already given up hopes to something more extraordinary when I spotted a flock of over one hundred Avocets, standing together in the shallow water. The sight became even more spectacular when they started to fly around in circles for a while. |
| Flock of Avocets |
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| Avocets taking off |
Just after taking a last photo of one of the many Whimbrels, I spotted some kind of bird of prey in the air.
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| Whimbrel |
The large bird flew straight towards me. 'An Osprey? It's an Osprey! It has something in its beak. A fish! It's got a fish! An Osprey with a fish!'
I was pretty excited before taking some amazing photos of what has probably become my favourite bird of prey. During the recent census I learned how difficult they can be to find in a more mountainous area, but you're quite likely to see them around marshes or saltpans. But with a huge fish? Simply breath-taking!
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| Nice catch! |
The Osprey flew around in circles above my head before heading to a tree in search of a safe place to have its lunch.After this memorable encounter I had little interest in taking more photos of the Avocets or any other waders. The only shot I can think of that would surpass these pictures would be of an Osprey diving into the water. One day I will succeed in finding that one too, without any doubt! |
| An incoming Grey Plover |
Find out more about this birding place here.
Happy birding!
Henry.
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| Male Kestrel in one of the trees near the entrance gate |
