The Rock, and the Gloop

Just lately i've been splitting my time between the Rock (Portland), and the Gloop (Lodmoor). Both places were a bit quiet this week (for me,,,, maybe not for everybody). A trip to Portland turned up a few raptor shots, and Loddy turned up less,,,, well,, Godwits mostly. Portland has always been 'THE' place to get good shots of Kestrels, as they have a pretty thick population for the size of the place.
  At Loddy,, the west path has been the place to be,,, with the Black-tailed Godwits coming really close, and their squabbling can be very entertaining. There is also a chance of seeing Water Rail, Snipe, and Lapwings very close. The high reeds continue to hamper photography tho'. What an old grizzly pensioner i am (as of Friday). At the beginning of the week Dennis and myself were puzzled as to the specific ID of some wagtails on the west path, and i'm still not sure. Its easy to tell the adults apart, but at this time of year there are many juveniles around to confuse the observer.

The Godwits have been performing well in the last week at Lodmoor, with lots of altercations and some fights occuring. If you are tall enough you'll find it quite easy to capture these antics,,,, on a fine day.

Of course, when they are not squabbling, they have their noses in the mud, along with an occasional Snipe, a bird that is 'King of the Mud'.

Being right in the centre of an urban sprawl, Lodmoor is an amazing place. It has good access to a fantastic array of wading, and coastal birds. At the moment there is a huge population of Canada Geese on the reserve.

The Rock,, after my Wryneck encounter was a bit of an anti-climax (are pensioners allowed to say 'climax') with most of the action provided by the resident Kestrels.

This is one of the few 'flight,,,as opposed to hovering' shots i managed. Not the most exciting week, but i may have another go at those squabbling Godwits at Loddy when the light is good. A few Wheats around there too,,, this juvenile was a bit distant, but nice to see.