Finally got good views of the pale Wigeon that has been doing the rounds since Dec 2011 (first on the Otter, then on the Axe from Jan 1st). It is on Seaton Marshes this morning, showing just south of the path to the hide. You can click on the photos below to enlarge them.
I rather flukily managed a pic of the underwing too - only just though...
It's the bird in the top right corner just about to fly out of shot! Check out and compare those underwings.
Same photo just cropped more. They do look a bit less white here, but the quality is pretty shoddy, and they still are strikingly different from the female Eurasian Wigeon beside it.
This was the photo I took roughly half a second before I fluked the flight shot.
This is the best on the deck photo I managed. It is the upper left female. Check out the colour of the head with a darker eye mask which extends down to the neck (almost ghosting a male American), and the peachy flanks. Head seems smaller too, and often appears to be a subtly different shape to Eurasian Wigeon.
Mid afternoon edit: An excellent photo of the birds upperwing (taken by Gav) has indeed clinched the identification...... as a Eurasian Wigeon. Oh well, it was all looking so promising too!!
I rather flukily managed a pic of the underwing too - only just though...
It's the bird in the top right corner just about to fly out of shot! Check out and compare those underwings.
Same photo just cropped more. They do look a bit less white here, but the quality is pretty shoddy, and they still are strikingly different from the female Eurasian Wigeon beside it.
This was the photo I took roughly half a second before I fluked the flight shot.
This is the best on the deck photo I managed. It is the upper left female. Check out the colour of the head with a darker eye mask which extends down to the neck (almost ghosting a male American), and the peachy flanks. Head seems smaller too, and often appears to be a subtly different shape to Eurasian Wigeon.
Mid afternoon edit: An excellent photo of the birds upperwing (taken by Gav) has indeed clinched the identification...... as a Eurasian Wigeon. Oh well, it was all looking so promising too!!
