Tuesday 1 September 2009

IBM Lake/Farlington Marshes (31st August)

When I actually managed to find the site I had a walk around the lake where the Blue-winged Teal (juv.) was showing very well. At first it was asleep but then woke up when two Buzzards flew low over.

The bird was quite grey in its colouring with a farily large dark grey bill, pale eye ring, white loral spot, and diffuse eye stripe. Also noted yellow legs (which were un-ringed) and at one point it flew out of the water onto the bank where could see the large blue-grey patches on the wing coverts.

Around the lake were a lot of Blue-tailed Damselflies, a couple of Azure Damselflies and a couple of Common Darters. Also 4 or 5 unidentified hawkers which I have photographed and will appear later on this blog.

I then went to Farlington Marshes as I was nearby. I walked clockwise and met some people I know about 1/5th of the way around. I asked what was about and they surprised me by saying there was a Grey Phalarope present.

I continued walking and managed to pick up a distant Osprey perched on a low post in the harbour. When I reached "The Deeps" there was no sign of the phalarope, but suddenly it appeared. The dark eye smudge, dark line down its neck to the mantle and grey upperparts were indicating an adult rather than a juv./1st winter.

There were a couple of Wheatears on the central fence and a distant chat which could have been a Whinchat, however, further around there were definitely 2 Whinchats on the fence at the back of the main lake.

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