I had a short visit to Pivot Fields to check how spring migration is progressing; there was a fresh wind keeping it relatively cool for the duration I was there.
In one of the fields, there was a small flock of White-tailed Lapwings in the soft morning light.
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| White-tailed Lapwing (Vanellus leucurus) |
European Bee-eaters alighted from wherever they had roosted and were still low above the ground - just love their calls
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| European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) |
I spent some time with this male Armenian Stonechat trying to get some in-flight images to show the tail. To me it has a more pied appearance than the similar Caspian.
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| Armenian Stonechat (Saxicola m. variegatus) |
A Turkestan Shrike was enjoying the early morning sun perched on some dried Sabkha bushes
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| Turkestan Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides) |
Spent some time at the marsh as the air and sky were clear and the light is generally ideal if you can keep the sun behind you; this skittish Black-tailed Godwit wasn't having any of that however
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| European Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa l. limosa) |
Black Kites are still in abundance as they roost on the Pivots overnight
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| Black Kite (Milvus migrans) |
Neil Tovey joined me at the marsh just as a Peregrine came past high overhead - no jesses on this one!
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| Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) |
It put up the Red-wattled Lapwing that must have been foraging in a nearby field
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| Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) |
A small flock of migrating Purple Herons slowly dropped out of the sky to land in the field next to the marsh
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| Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) |
After leaving the marsh, I found a small flock of Lesser Kestrel hunting over one of the fields
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| Female Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) |
The numbers of Western Yellow Wagtail seems to be increasing and it is always fun to work through them to find the different races; this one was an interesting hybrid - a mix between Black-headed and Citrine?
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| Hybrid Western Yellow Wagtail |
Others were more recognisable
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| Sykes's Wagtail (Motacilla f. beema) |
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| Yellow-headed Wagtail (Motacilla f. lutea) |
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| This could be Motacilla f. dombrowskii, with the dark ear coverts |
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| Grey-headed Wagtail (Motacilla f. thunbergi) |
On the boundary, more Willow Warblers
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| Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) |
and a male Northern Wheatear with the spring flowers as a backdrop
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| Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) |
I found this young male Western Marsh Harrier feeding on what might have been a Collared Dove. Those yellow eyes really do 'pop'
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| Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) |
and later a cracking male Montagu's Harrier that had caught one of the Desert Locusts
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| Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) |
At a leaky water pipe that was attracting birds, a shy Mistle Thrush was really not expected
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| Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) |
Whilst a flock of White Storks drifted by overhead wandering why the air was so clear and where had all the planes gone?
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| Western White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) |
An enjoyable quick and focused sortie to the Pivots.....
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