Psilos Bird Journal
Thursday October 12th 2006
     
"A golden return"
 
 
Driving down the main road out of Bolton I was delighted to find that the Golden plover have returned to the roof of a local tyre garage. Most winters it is used largely by Lapwings for roosting but occassioanlly they are joined by these beautiful waders. Today there were about two dozen of them. Trying to get close to them though is very difficult. Mechanics can come and go but as soon as a camera is produced they are off and away. Maybe next time I should turn up wearing a mechanics overall and wielding a large wrench in order to hide my camera!
     

     
Four birds were brave enough to stay and so I was able to get a few photographs. The rest of them will probably return later and as I left I made a mental note to check on my way back.
     

     
Was actually on my way to Moses Gate Country Park. There is some lovely light today so thought I would spend some time watching the Mute swans. Here there are alot of young non breeding swans as well as breeding pairs and they were in high spirits with plenty of fly bys.
     
     
     

     
There was also a few of this years juveniles flying around.
 
 
Also plenty of swans bathing and preening. Bright light can be difficult to use when photographing white birds but if handled correclty it can really help to bring these birds to life as well as really enhancing their astonishing beauty.
 
 
Other birds on the lake included plenty of Tufted ducks, a grey heron, Cormorant, Canada geese, Morrhens, Coots and a pair of Great crested grebes with three young chicks. Despite staying in the centre of the lake the chicks were so loud and persistent you could hear them wherever you went. There were also plenty of noisy Black headed gulls and a couple of juvenile Lesser black backed gulls. I watched this bird below for quite some time hoping that he might do something interesting that I could photograph but sadly that was not to be so youll have to make do with a boring posed photograph instead.
 
 
All too quickly the light changed. It became overcast which was making my photos flat and dull and so I went home. Looking in at the garage produced no birds at all. Hopefully they will be back soon.....