And why does it suck? Because instead of twitching sexy birds or working sexy sites I keep spending too much time in my stinking ponds producing nothing, and because you guys get to see the same images of the same, common birds.
Anyway, today I had some time in the morning so had a quick look at 'my' Ashdod ponds. I thought that as it was 9/11 today, it would have been appropriate for me to find an American lost soul or a bombshell from Afghanistan. But again the best I could find were two Broad-billed Sandpipers. None had a ring on, which is a pity as they look so much better with a ring on, ain't they? One of them was quite well-behaved. In addition I had one citrine Wagtail flying around but didn't manage to see it on the deck.
Broad-billed Sandpiper
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EPZa39UHkE_VVSMycIu-LZTKVMwyadrtR20Zcj9HciS4X3jx08IbPRvGX8U2iiGuwY11-JU0lSTlahb1G75OsfZSAoU2pWixld7x9aZ8rmfOJBwh9wL02sc4I5OmaczhTr8WOAtgBX3E/s400/limi6.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUsScgs_As4y5DU6ZAPtg8jOiBKwI8I5zntmdXVvD-5yVOgyrBUmS1apsI6NME0aljM14DzAnZPIWRxiqhT7BuksGPpqRDja3VCIe1aGInLTs0T3hWxufIVE12tzCaaPwpKFE1IkcxwOP/s400/limi5.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa3MIDrrJ02t82YlMmUbmU8iwgCloBSITvYwf6K5IgUXdhgj_JfinJBQHpLckg67DYotgc3whWgjWLKdQpPgDo0bZ8EyQCYpwOUY91q6Qx-aZ8CoSxjhxR7XqelFrRfnFSV0b__EAzwu8/s400/limi4.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpePjL9irC49jaKLL2OFcTHPmOQrne4Rey6x02_jaFW-6XYGcTWPjlsJqDlvVZRyfMNen6Cfk3iYp2lSLPVdrd088u13MzTko0CnAy1-CYr5i9j2-Mo1trbDbMMOyh7_lBcnJeuvQVUWrC/s400/limi3.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGC364UZQ5LxxQ0EoQzhuBy7NI7CrjXpRS6T9TPAHGNinxY6XSH8uWxZYw8kdwY5RiNb-qgON8B6PwJc8itCZhIx-ruispbkF0vwhevZfQWoDG_6nMNejSNfiYyCF_t1CWxTXN-_5L3rW/s400/limi2.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_WhDVKGC4KDDdsYzBI9yJbv1_vqsJbuYmXzhGSwBQm7b3v8rnoUz3jS-YSwT1rZmjHdAKOu94GIxaoTpNRb_5aN1yYgQnBdavCFj24d8MJ9jMo8sslPt-9LV9baQ4AGZ6rdW5u2GwRYG/s400/limi1.jpg)
I had a nice group of four Little Ringed Plovers in the early morning light. They are such delicate and sweet plovers. Pity I had this ugly piece of concrete in the frame.
Little Ringed Plover
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8FxJ9YCOSmyxAVQ3zx1IJ-AHAXNnAwBDOY2E8rSrT8asPP7NC3cQPdzoaWOPA-xcaldx8nOtekqnEIZWNEeGaVcLGqoSDbXin6_ex97GimHqC03YbHRB-_LUxV2dr_Hy-n10cIPqVO-f/s400/LRP2.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuhUtWjf31TxIfIn6ZXiePTmgF2MaFLUg0D9FljLw_dBy6TnZ5xWI7zRwFEsbCPC_W5GDxhHZldAAXqtu_biTbSOwynPON8ZqbRIFxCkqkIOiZltK7gLYD_3WFol6LeVMwzwm2Ffufa7G/s400/LRP5.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmRus2Xtqumgdkd0oVeYgU5TyhuOkv8J2ExWk-b6ZzEfNLPZj9afTSlflW4qceXzwYPcsD_gC-FCcW8aUgRkBtgK00BVq2aRLV10GHJEyZmTn6v4PSQur-YwkVGkAdQp2dljhxnp-lL_Z/s400/LRP6.jpg)
As usual I had a few Temminck's Stints:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjri9T6ltAo0HJM5YonuCvNQk-8yQ285QG0WUusXMQTZNRPlC5H4_nPS9RHcJOZHXhFL2t86TUM13i5qfPjUSYLwJsoPgZzDspqh3h1GZqsANukyxTPtWoglL1diU8HGbZg9DS5lPTcWE3G/s400/temink.jpg)
You can see this adult temmicnk is exactly halfway through its primary moult (PMS = 25).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKdX-QGjCbxn-DUJLd6BoC_ZVRQHso0WrZKZPPiZNqxmMCz92VT3jrJAXkrGxt9Sv0KzpBPlx0NkgML8GCNpuePZNS_UG_dDnmU-wbVWbK4keWItDVbNoc5ghlzOSS7t7Eu6tq7IOX1kV/s400/trio.jpg)
There is a large increase in snipe numbers. I am working hard on them too... but all of them have such a long tail...
Common Snipe
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrhOD08EdAW8WmkHnpdSPgK_lRPKvTyP3byLQebUAtFPx81HZgru7zgci2iErAdEJxzCNoSQ91deyV3-GhWfr-fSMbWs6o2SVDywjXxMwdfYmTHi36Smwg_MMmjdGe4snRsbFCYAGAiqW/s400/duo.jpg)
You can see this bird is a 1cy by the blackish tips to its lesser coverts:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GqiA3AFscPZB6jxTvkaHswRV_6YEE4c4LjEmTA8uxMnCCOQs6ezgMODKBVQBFTn4Wvi6N2o7Cyfs0ysprFAD77euevFdGBE87CrOts-Y4lBNY09NygTyGO57BzZutqHPy3XwETro-OAL/s400/snipe2.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0XuihGb6r8Gmd1gxo8Vo3j_VHziHCSw4VRyOWDTs9COZuZTVxxreH655B_5u5yv8aCVFKdZHjCYWw-FVNcknmjFT5eF6LAtITkIz7efWFq5umC72BOApBUluRW7ZcYGcrsa6TzqpdE8n/s400/snipe1.jpg)
On the way back home I had a quick look at Hulda reservoir, which produced 20 Ferruginous Ducks, an early Black-necked Grebe, 1 Monty's Harrier and 3 White-winged Terns. In the nearby fields there were large numbers of Ortolans and Cretzschchshzhthmar's Buntings in mixed groups.
Cretzschmar's Bunting
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_At7Bm1XZzCthvgPQDNqjws7_1_GfHNHZoGOrMjcG30U3XPx-sr8vU_REGRFTxoTgJ7M-cpmAdQmU58Oa8Jsx7j2-nMp1oIKYF_VdoumJyQBFIccvqI53chlG0PVzLtVeQScVlGCT_U77/s400/crez.jpg)
Very large numbers of Turtle Doves are going through now:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFuq6jKrhaxGZwCf5MSt_rHTSHN9FwjA0IVY7ogzqE6WTyC5bOC2j7PF5TYNhlLforK5jAe9nPGSLHoG9dgwkzTz7An6kR559m6SGeGV-tnwAC3HjVBNbTQuPF4OPFGn_9O0RIwgPvzyW/s400/turtur.jpg)
Apart for that, the fields held the typical selection of Whinchats, Greater Short-toed Larks, Issy Wheatears and Tree Pipits.
I wish I had a few stinking ponds like this.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind these images at all. Great to learn about birds and in particular shorebirds in other places.
ReplyDeleteWhat a interesting serie of images! The Little Ringed Plover series is my prefered one, the one where he is all fluffy because of the wind is very cute ;)
ReplyDeleteThere is patch-working and patch-working, i would swap mine for yours.........any day Yoav!
ReplyDelete