Graced by Sociables

Week 44; 30 October 2020 - Pivot Fields

It's really great to arrive at the farm just before the sun rises. I parked my car next to Christian and together we enjoyed the world waking up and of course I took the obligatory pic...

Pivots Sunrise

Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret were feeding under the pivot, on the opposite side of the road

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)

Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

I headed toward the marsh, to get some birds in the golden glow finding only Daurian Shrike

Daurian Shrike (Lanius isabellinus)

And a male European Stonechat that ambushed a sleeping Dragonfly in the grass. It almost seemed to big for the Stonechat, but he finished it off. 

The last image is an Eastern Stonechat, probably Armenian

European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)

Armenian Stonechat (Saxicola m. variegatus)

Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters were already active over and around the marsh

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)

As were quite a few Pallid Swift

Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)

The waterfowl were airborne long before I got out my car. I had Eurasian Teal

Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)

and an eclipse male and female Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

A Great White Egret was a new addition to the farm list

Western Great Egret (Ardea alba)

There were numbers of White-tailed Lapwing together with the Stilt's

White-tailed Lapwing (Vanellus leucurus)

The Yellow-crowned Bishops had a successful summer, as I counted between 7-9 birds. 

Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer)

Then it was back in the car for a slow drive, a Greater Spotted and Imperial were sharing the same perch

Greater Spotted (Clanga clanga) and Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)

and the gorgeous fulvescens was also still around

Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga c. fulvescens)

I found two different Long-legged Buzzard's

1st Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)

2nd Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)

and a distant Steppe Grey Shrike on the boundary fence, against the light

Great Grey Shrike (Lanius e. lahtora)

I headed to the field were the Northern Lapwing were last seen and managed to re-located the  Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing. With the cooler weather, heat haze is diminishing, so it is easier to get the long shots across the field

Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarius)

There were also a few of Tawny Pipit in the same field

Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris)

On the way out, a lone Pied Wheatear

Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)