Wild Bird Wednesday 675 - Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swans visit the UK during the winter from their breeding grounds in the Arctic Tundra.

The classification of these birds is not straight forward.  It may be considered a sub-species of Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii)  or it can also be considered a full-species known as Cygnus bewickii.   I believe the more modern analysis treats these birds as a subspecies of Tundra Swan.  Most of the disagreement on this classification seems to hang on the amount of yellow / black in the beak.  On such things PhDs are made.

These birds wrestle photographed at Slimbridge, a WWT reserve in Gloucestershire, UK.  This reserve is famous for these swans, and it is a well known location for them in the winter.  However, the number of birds visiting the reserve has fallen by almost 90% in the last 50 years.  Many birds which would have 'traditionally' made the journey to Slimbridge after breeding now 'stop short' at other wetlands in Europe, rather than flying all the way to the UK.  This is almost certainly the result of the warmer winter temperatures now being experienced due to climate change.  There are now fewer than 18,000 of these birds that overwinter in Europe.

They are the smallest of the three species of Swan found in the UK, and this was the first chance I had to photograph them.  They really are a wonderful bird.

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Wild Bird Wednesday 674 - Pink-Eared Duck

The Pink-Eared Duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus) is a species of small duck found only in Australia.  In the field really good views are needed to be able to see the 'pink ear' of this species and it is far more likely to be identified because of its grey, square tipped bill and 'zebra stripe' flanks.

In the past this species was referred to as the Zebra Duck - and that really doe make a lot more sense than Pink-Eared Duck.

However, these birds were sitting in good light, close to the hide at Werribee Sewage Works so you can see they pink spot (which to my eyes looks like it has been applied with a highlighter pen) on the head.

These birds often gather in large flocks at Werribee and even in flight their distinctive bill shape can be seen.  The birds in the final picture took flight after their feeding was interrupted by the passage of a Swamp Harrier.  

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 673 - Great Crested Grebe.

The Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is large grebe that is found all over Europe and east across the Palearctic.  It is also found in Southern Africa and Australia.   The birds in these three areas are assigned to different subspecies.  One of the more noticeable differences between these populations of birds is that the Australian birds - Podiceps cristatus australis - retain there breeding plumage through the year, where as birds from the other two areas lose their characteristic breeding plumage in the colder months of the year.

These birds - which are doing their famous breeding 'dance' - were at Ham Wall  RSPB reserve in Somerset, UK.  Although they gave great views through the scope, they were rather distant and as a result these images have been rather heavily cropped.  Nonetheless, the pictures do show some of the complex 'dance moves' involved in this ritual.  Unfortunately neither of the birds picked up any water plants in their beaks, which is often also part of the ritual.

This species was hunted almost to extinction in the United Kingdom in the 19th century for its head plumes, which were used to decorate ladies' hats and garments. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) was set up to help protect this species, which is again a reasonably common sight.  This is very good news!

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  Cheers and hope all is well with you all.  SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 672 - Willow Warbler

The Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is a common summer visitor to the UK with approximately 2 million pairs being arriving as part of the spring influx of warblers.  They start to arrive in the April and depart during October, with almost all of the population wintering in sub-Saharan Africa.

They are a member of the 'Leaf Warbler' group and look very similar to the closely related Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita).  In fact the best way to differentiate these two birds is by their call - which of course is a little difficult if you just rely on photographs! 

The Willow Warbler's song is a simple repetitive descending whistle, while the Chiffchaff has a simple distinctive song, a repetitive 'chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff'.

This bird calling from a prominent position in a Willow tree on the Ham Wall RSPB reserve in Somerset, UK.  Given the shape of the catkins I think the willow is a Goat Willow (Salix caprea) and these are the male catkins.  (The male and female catkins this species occur on separate trees.)

The Willow Warbler is a typical leaf warbler in appearance - meaning its greenish brown - and is quite small weighing between 7–15 g and being 11–12.5 cm long. 

These images just shout 'spring' and it was really rather lovely to experience this time of year again in the UK.

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  SM

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West Stoke Woods

While Bluebells are not restricted to the UK, it's been estimated that as many as 50% of world's total population of this species are found within the UK and Ireland.  The distribution of this species ranges from the north-western part of the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles.  

But I think it's reasonable to say that the British Isles are Bluebell central.  I also think - although I'm having difficulty tracking down conformation of this - that 'Bluebell Woods', where the species almost  dominates the spring flush of flowers, are almost completely restricted to the British Isle.  Over other parts of its range this species shares the forest floor with a range of other spring flowers.

I'm pretty sure one of us had never seen a bluebell wood before!

These pictures were taken in West Stoke Wood, which is well known as a 'Bluebell Wood'.  West Stoke Wood is located within the South Downs National Park, less than a 15 drive from central Chichester.

Cheers  SM