BIRD NEWS:503

Back to the Bewicks - Silver-tag was swimming serenely enjoying the sunshine, dozing away contentedly. Meanwhile, Orange-tag stuck its beak in its back, curled over, and otherwise unmoving swam in circles...

The Canada Geese family were still maintaining ownership of the path ahead of me... with the main parent staring crossly if I so much as took a step or two towards them. I therefore spent a little longer on my second visit to the Bewicks and took THIS video of Orange-tag (and Silver-tag) in its dozing-circling motions.

What was this strange creature, I pondered - it looked like a seagull with a funny head and weird coloring... For a moment I thought it was maybe a black-tailed godwit...but on observing properly it doesn't really look like one - so maybe it was just a color-deformed young gull.

I approached the Trumpeter swan lake - and to my surprise, one of them was doing the same thing as Orange-tag had been - dozing with beak tucked in on the back, whilst circling. I gather it must be a special doze-behavior of swans....but am uncertain if all species do it or just Bewick and Trumpeter. I haven't spotted a mute or black-necked swan do this - yet!

This was supposedly a baby moorhen with mommy - but at the wrong moment they got behind the reeds and you can only see the mother's backside and baby's beak. My final shot for today depicts a bird I spotted fly away as I approached - and here it was back again - a woodpecker!