Friday 9 May 2014

9th May 2014 Lewes Brooks & Rodmell

Greenshank 1

Rodmell
Ringed Plover 3
Dunlin 5
Blue-headed Wagtail 1 male







Male Blue-headed Wagtail M. flava flava at Rodmell
Found just before 8pm it was watched for less than 10 minutes before it attracted some unwelcome attention from a Pied Wagtail whereupon it flew off high to the south and was lost to view in the sky still heading towards Southease. We spent the next hour walking the riverbank towards Southease checking the grassy fields but to no avail. Being viewed at some distance and against the light didn't help but it did appear to show a full suite of characters of a pure Blue-headed Wagtail. The above digiscoped images were obtained with pushed exposure due to the failing light would appear to detail the critical plumage characters showing its blue-grey crown, hind-neck and very slightly darker ear-coverts, obvious whitish supercilium, white half-crescent underlining its eye, white band on the upper throat (so probably a 1s) with an indistinct border to its yellow breast, greenish-tinged upperparts and rather prominent wingbars.