Nick Watmough again provides us with an eloquent commentary on this weeks photos.
“Just over a week ago I looked at the POTW reminder in my calendar, exhaled slowly and smiled. The clocks had gone back, the change of weather meant no new arrivals and photographers would revert to winter mode and the sighting page would be a lively mix of wildfowl, waders and herons. Then Dougy Wright went and relocated the Steppe Grey Shrike on the Lizard! A stunning, relatively confiding and very rare vagrant frequenting bushes next to a car park meant only one thing – I would likely to be trying to pick one of fifty shades of grey for a POTW.
In fact, there were some great submissions of herons, waders of wildfowl. The reflections on Coronation Park Lake in Helston always enhance images of birds. This was evident in contributions from John St Ledger, Tim Culmer, Steve Rogers and Gill Fisher who all photographed the Ring-necked Duck. Gill added value in the form of a sharp, nicely framed image of a Common Sandpiper which along with Martin Webb’s portly Penzance Turnstone made me pause to think.
Another long-staying rarity – the Lesser Yellowlegs that hangs out behind Tesco in Truro also got a lot of attention with Tim Culmer, Jayne Bowen, Tony Wilson, Mark James and W Hall all offering images of this muddy Tringa. Herons were also a popular subject, and I particularly liked the Grey Heron photos submitted by D Rundle and Martin Webb whilst Sarah Talbot sympathetically caught a Great White Egret preening from the Stithians feeder hide. Another set of quality images came from photographers visiting Walmsley included a Marsh Harrier being harassed by a Jackdaw (Paul Davies), the elusive Greenland White-fronted Goose flock (M. Taylor) and a couple of cryptic Common Snipe (Jasmina Goodair).
Before we get to the shrike a quick public service announcement. The reason for submitting images to the sightings team is to support field observations – done in exemplary fashion by Andrew Taylor with a Snow Bunting on Porthcothan Beach.
To let us focus on the array of excellent images of what was never an easy subject I have posted (for those who are interested) a short note on its status, origins and taxonomy of Steppe Grey Shrike on the CBWPS Facebook page. Dougy Wright set a high bar when he first refound the bird, but subsequent photographers faced a dilemma. Did they either capture it in low light on its favourite fence post against a complex background complete with barbed wire or on the top of a bush against a bright sky. Either way folk did magnificently – kudos to Steve Rogers and Gill Fisher for their flight shots showing the extent of white in the wing and tail. Adrian Lea and Steve Cox documented the decimation of the local wasp population and Stuart Croft’s crisp exposure made it look imperious as it surveyed its temporary home. Brilliant stuff and many lovely shades of grey but sadly not one that won me over.
Given the quality of the shrike photos finding a superior image of a grey bird photographed in bright light against a tricky background seemed highly unlikely. But look at Mark James’s beautifully composed photo of a Spotted Redshank at Devoran; it has it all. The different shades of grey and white are perfectly exposed to reveal the gradation and highlighted by the splash of colour in the legs and bill. The subject is sharp – look at the detail on the breast and flight feathers with the background softened (a combination of depth of field and post processing?) to emphasise the bird – my favourite shade of grey this week and a well-deserved POTW.
Apologies to those who submitted images who I didn’t manage to mention and as ever thank you all for for taking time to submit to the Sightings Page and providing me with a couple of hours of enjoyment looking over your work.”
Many thanks Nick and congratulations Mark for sharing a great picture.
