18 April 2020

Lockdown - Day 18

Week 13; 29 March 2020 - Pivot Fields

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.

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

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.

Armenian Stonechat (Saxicola m. variegatus)






A Turkestan Shrike was enjoying the early morning sun perched on some dried Sabkha bushes

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

European Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa l. limosa)

Black Kites are still in abundance as they roost on the Pivots overnight

Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

Neil Tovey joined me at the marsh just as a Peregrine came past high overhead - no jesses on this one!

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)


It put up the Red-wattled Lapwing that must have been foraging in a nearby field

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

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)

After leaving the marsh, I found a small flock of Lesser Kestrel hunting over one of the fields

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?

Hybrid Western Yellow Wagtail


Others were more recognisable

Sykes's Wagtail (Motacilla f. beema)

Yellow-headed Wagtail (Motacilla f. lutea)

This could be Motacilla f. dombrowskii, with the dark ear coverts

Grey-headed Wagtail (Motacilla f. thunbergi)

On the boundary, more Willow Warblers

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)


and a male Northern Wheatear with the spring flowers as a backdrop

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'

Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)





and later a cracking male Montagu's Harrier that had caught one of the Desert Locusts

Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus)





At a leaky water pipe that was attracting birds, a shy Mistle Thrush was really not expected 

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?

Western White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

An enjoyable quick and focused sortie to the Pivots.....
















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