Wednesday 29 December 2010

Iceland Gull Preston Dock 29/12/2010

I vistited Preston Dock earlier in December for the iceland gull and saw it well.
But was frustrated that on that occasion it didn't fly and just sat on the ice.
 Today, it put on a great show!

I went with my girlfriend Julie to combine a couple of hours watching the gull
followed by shopping round Preston, what a plan!  The bird was nowhere
  to be seen when we arrived at 1.30pm.
 We decided to buy bread from the nearby supermarket to tempt the bird in.

Julie started throwing out pieces of bread onto the thawing ice.
 Within a minute the iceland gull appeared and kept it's distance at first before
 diving in with the rest of the gulls to feast
superb!!

Strangely, there was at least six black-headed gulls and one common gull,
dead on the ice at the Dock.








A couple of the dead black-headed gulls.

Tuesday 28 December 2010

water rail

These water rail shot's were taken in mid December at Lowerhouse Lodge, Burnley.
The bird was showing very well during a period of freezing weather in a ditch off Knotts
Lane, right by a busy public footpath!





Monday 27 December 2010

26/12/2010

Great Grey Shrike

A local twitch to see the Great Grey Shrike that had been reported earlier in the day at
 Grove Lane Marsh, Padiham. Not surprisingly, there was a few local birder's there
 when i arrived, including Russell Carter and Allen Holmes.
 After five or ten minutes the bird appeared and was seen on and off for around
 thirty minutes, although it remained fairly distant and mobile i managed this shot.