Ringed Plover in flight

 

One of the features of birds in flight that I find so attractive is the issometric patterns of wings and feather shapes. I find the white wing bars so very attractive and pleasing to the eye.

It's quite difficult to get close enough to photograph small waders and I think the pictures from my previous post were not as good as they could have been.  I returned to Cockwood again on Thursday hoping to take better picures and I think I was successful.  I always get a buzz when I make the effort to improve my pictures and then have some success.  I have notoced before that Turnstone tend to move around in the company of Ringed Plover, quite why that should be the case is a mystery to me? But they do. I dont find them a very photogenic bird but in flight they are at their best with a striking pattern showing really well. 

 

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These two were particularly "close" seeming to seek each other out and even when the main group of Plovers moved away it stayed in the company of the Turnstone.

It has been a busy couple of days for me. Last evening I presented a "Talk" to the Topsham Bird Watching Society entitled Birding Opportunities in South Florida. This was a great opportunity for me to look at some of my best images from my Florida trips which I enjoyed immensely. However, presenting an illustrated talk of 2 hours duration is quite a daunting challenge and it took days and days of preparation meaning that I had to spend the entire day sat in front of my computer yesterday adding the final touches. As I stood on the stage with a mic strapped to my neck, a screen as big as a goal mouth and the onerous responsibility of entertaining a hall full of knowledgeable, expectant people, I began to wish that I was back sat in a hide quietly on my own somewhere. It seemed to go well and I think my photographs were enjoyed with them being described as some of the best pictures seen at their talks. Being appreciated is always good!