Oldt1mer - Keith's photos with the keyword: Wetlands

The Little Egret – Egretta garzetta – is a small white heron with plumes on its crest, back and chest. Eating mainly fish but will also take amphibians, worms, small crustaceans and even the occasional small bird or mammal. More normally seen in the south of England they do venture further northward during winter months. This beauty was seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Eurasian Oystercatcher - Haematopus ostralegus – is also known as the Common Pied Oystercatcher, the Palaearctic Oystercatcher or just the Oystercatcher. Despite its name, oysters do not form a large part of its diet, preferring molluscs such as cockles and mussels where available and earthworms and insect larvae when inland but this does change depending on location. It is the national bird of the Faroe Islands. This pair had just flown in, pecked around for a minute then the male decided that he would like a family and went straight to the female and hopped on board. This shot was just before he settled down to business and was taken at Martin Mere Wetlands. I do have further shots of the procedure but I liked this one the best. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Greylag Goose - Anser anser - is the largest and bulkiest of the wild Geese native to Britain and Europe at 76-89cm long, a wingspan of 147-180cm and weighing 2.9-3.7 kg. They will eat roots, cereal leaves, grass and spilled grain and can often be found in pastures grazing the nutritious grass alongside sheep or cows, surprisingly they can also be found in ploughed fields searching for potatoes which they love. I caught this one just as it was landing on one of the waters at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Wigeon - Mareca penelope – is a medium sized Duck with a round head and a short bill. Eating mainly aquatic plants, grasses and roots it is a ‘dabbling duck’, meaning it feeds mainly on the surface of the water rather than diving for its food. I was lucky to catch both the male (foreground) and the female side by side at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Common Snipe - Gallinago gallinago - is a medium sized, very well camouflaged, short legged wading bird which feeds on small insects, crustaceans, snails, spiders and worms and will also eat seeds and plants when available. They can be seen on wetlands and also, during summer months, on moorland. Nesting on dry ground and hidden amongst vegetation they lay 4 eggs which the female incubates and then both parents care and feed the chicks. If the eggs are destroyed by other bigger birds or animals, they will lay replacement clutches. This one was seen at Martin Mere Wetlands, Burscough, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Gatekeeper - Pyronia tithonus - is a European species of butterfly and is also known as the Hedge Brown, both names are very apt because it is often seen around gateways and hedgerows where clumps of flowers and weeds grow. It is very similar to the Meadow Brown and it can be difficult to distinguish between the two when their wings are closed. (The Meadow Brown rests with its wings closed but luckily the Gatekeeper tends to rest with its wings open). This one was seen at Martin Mere Wetlands, Burscough. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.