UKH

I usually get long distance views of spotted redshanks, but the near gale force winds probably meant it couldn’t be bothered flying off. Classic bird - almost silver looking. From last weekend.  

Nice photos.

The spotted redshank on my list to try and see. Should be one about up here but not been lucky yet. Managed out this week after a couple of months off bird watching and saw this redshank, but it was not for staying put!

There’s been some good birds round my way, but I’ve managed to not see most of them. I’ve not seen the rudy shelduck, the male ring necked duck, the green winged teal, the black throated diver and the smew. Oh, and the Bewicks.  

Most of those I’ve still to see. Saw a few Whooper swans, but not any Bewicks yet. I think it’s possible for a few to visit the Forth in winter.

Still to process photos, but I got a few of Greater Scaups, both males and females which I was pleased to see. They seem to have taken to being about on the upper Forth regularly I was told. Huge numbers of Godwits were around that day.

I usually see good numbers of scaup in the Eden or off the West Sands - scope views though so never got a good photo. We should soon start to get migration kicking in - an Osprey was seen in Kent the other week (January !!!!).

Im off to Devon in a few hours. Hopefully spend a good few hours each day birding. Watch this space…

Not photos and havent tried it myself yet but saw this and thought it might be of interest to some. Birdsong recognition game.

https://jessicalieb.itch.io/birdlingo

Finally found a Spotted Redshank. Well truth be told it was pointed out to me by another birder as to the general area it had been seen in; all I had to do was find it.

I would have missed it completely if I hadn’t been told one was present as it wasn’t at all obviously different to me.

Managed to get three different shanks photographed together (as well as a Mrs Teal).

Also, photos of G Scaup.

I’m always impressed by your photos, and I finally have some holiday snaps for you to identify!

Birds.  All three are birds. You can tell that they are birds because they look like them.

PS I like boobies.

There’s no fooling you!

I don't believe those were from a staycation 😁

That's really not fair having all 3 shanks in one shot. I'm still struggling to see a spotted or green (*), I think they see me coming ☹️

(*) I have seen them in my youf and I thought I saw a couple of spotted last year but then had doubts so need a more definitive view 

Took a while and luck for all three to be together. It was only one or two at a time before which was not helping my ID. The sun was too close to the viewing direction which was making colours duller and more similar. I did get another photo of the white eye stripes which helped convince me that it was a spotted.

The Spotted one did seem to have a different behaviour feeding - slight swooping of head and feeding in deeper water. 

Had a friend sending lots of photos like these late last year.

My guess for No 1 is one of the Hummingbird species. Wild guess Velvet-purple Coronet?

No 2 is a Blue-footed Booby, and No 3 I think is a Swallow-tailed Gull as both have obvious ID features.

Of course it is dependence on where you were and if those species exist there!

Correct!  Galapagos and the Mashpi cloud forest in Ecuador.  Cheating, of course, considering how trusting most things are in Galapagos,  and the hummingbirds are used to being fed at the lodge and are ridiculously bold.  Not bad for iPhone snaps though.

The friends that were in the Galapagos, surrounds and Peru got so close to lots of species and as you say they are trusting so didn’t often move; even G penguins and seals stayed put. Frigate birds flew into markets (one photo was them just above head height, so could be scary for some)  and pelicans were stood by the fish tables waiting for food with folk walking around them.

Trip of a lifetime for them.

Your photos are good and will be a reminder of your visit.

Blue headed hummingbird, blue footed booby, swallow tailed gull. Great stuff!  
Edit: CP beat me, both in speed and accuracy !!  

The jizz of the spot red is what often gives them away - they feed so deep that they look like they are swimming and tilting their heads to completely submerge, and in groups huddled close together. They can look almost silver at distance, greenshank appear more white than any other colour, normal reds brownish. 

SR looks like it might be easy to confuse with Black-tailed Godwit in winter plumage if the legs are completely below water.

Thanks, makes sense more as I was a bit more confident it was a spotted when it was actively feeding with the head movements being different to a normal red. Thought head was well submerged at times too which I’ve haven’t seen a red do. Problem with colour on the day was the angle of the sun for seeing properly.

I was confused with the light! Here is a shot of the spotted swimming (or just walking in deeper water).