Oystercatcher (Pied) - Haematopus ostralegus

I saw this unusual Oystercatcher from the hide at Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve this morning. I began to feel a little sorry for it if truth be known. There was a flock of around 100 and this bird was definitely being bullied by the other"normal" Oystercatchers. At one time it was actually attacked by one of it's flock mates. It tried very hard to fit in but the other birds would only just about tolerate it. Chatting to a couple of people in the hide, they told me that this is the second year that it has been seen, so it has done well to survive. I know a little bit about genetical inheritance  and this bird would probably be the result of a chance pairing where both parents were carrying the gene for this mutation. When two recessive genes combine then the gene will express its self in an actual colour form. I could see that this bird also had red eyes, so it is also a partial "albino". An interesting bird and a quirk of nature. I have deliberately kept these pictures small as the quality is not good. The bird was quite a way from the hide and even with a 500mm lens and a 2x converter, this was the best I could get. My main reason for a rare visit to Dawlish Warren was to see if I could catch up with the Roseate Terns seen over the last few days. I did see two and also a Common Tern,  and of course,  lots of Sandwich Terns but I didn't manage to get any sort of a photograph They just wouldn't come near enough to the hide. I also saw a Common Gull which if you didn't know, are not in fact common at all, not rare but only encountered from time to time.

 

They are much more delicate than the usual Herring Gulls that we all despise so much when they are such a nuisance in Suburban areas and holiday destinations. I think I can pretty much assure you that this gull would never swoop down to steal your chips! You can recognise them by the absence of a red dot on the beak, and of course completely white head. On the walk back to the carpark I passed by a very rich area for insects and took photos of three Butterfly species in just a few minutes. The first one was a:

 Common Blue

The same Butterfly with wings closed.

Followed by a Small Copper.

This is a lovely Butterfly and the first I have seen. It's always great to see a species for the first time. Then I saw this Gatekeeper, my first for this year. We have had them in the garden in previous years. This one was  in the company of a 5 Spot Burnet Moth, one of the day flying moth species.

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If you are reading the  Blog after seeing an article in the Exeite magazine about  my Blog, my Band and my photography, then can I give you a really big welcome and say how pleased I am that you have taken the trouble to come and have a look.  My Blog gets up-dated most days, sometime I may miss if I am away or have nothing good to say, but that is the aim at least. May I suggest that you Bookmark it. Also please check my Photograph Galleries here. This is where I post all of my favourite images, you can just click on the link and you will be directed there automatically. Finally,  please email me  or leave a comment if you would like any help with the wildlife in your garden or directions to any of the  sites around Exeter that are mentioned on the Blog, I would love to help if I can.