Monday 15 September 2014

What are these birds?

We moved on from Coventry Basin this morning and turned onto the Oxford Canal at Sutton Stop. On the way to Stretton Stop, where we tied up for the night, we saw some birds we can't remember having seen before.

They flew like kingfishers ...

... but are obviously not kingfishers. Two other boaters independently expressed their mystification.

They called out as they flew, making a sound a bit like a woodpecker's call. They wagged their tails when on the ground.

Can someone identify them for me from my poor photos? (Irene?)

As we passed under the M6 there was a bit of a queue heading towards Birmingham. These lorries were stationary.

Oslo, a R. W. Davies boat, looked resplendent in the afternoon light. We even had a little sunshine, interspersed with some light showers of rain.

We walked into Brinklow to check out the White Lion and its curry house. But it is no longer a curry house. (Grr.) They now do pizzas, but we didn't fancy that so we returned to the boat for Plan B: lamb chops.

4 comments:

Nb Triskaideka said...

Could be a dipper?

Ian and Irene Jameison said...

I think the birds are common sandpipers. They fly low to the water and give off a shrill twee twee twee cry. Not native to Britain but come here to breed between March and September. This time of year they can pop up anywhere in the UK before they leave our shores.

Halfie said...

Ali and Irene/Ian, thank you. Yes, when they flew they were mostly skimming the water, although when a boat came the other way they rose quite high. And your description of the call fits.

James Bell said...

I was also going to say common sandpiper. Definitely not a dipper