Blackpits

I have raved before about the Somerset Levels - surely one of the best inland locations for birding in Britain, and pushes some of the coastal hotspots close too. Today the area came up trumps again with a Hudsonian Godwit, possibly only the third individual recorded in Britain as the first three records were thought to have involved the same bird. News of its discovery broke sufficiently early for me to get there by mid-morning, wait for it to fly around a bit for photos of the striking black underwing, and get home in time for a family trip to the cinema (Avengers: The Age of Ultron. Go see it. Almost as good as a Hudsonian Godwit).

The black underwing coverts made it easy to pick out in the flying flock...

...but not that easy to photograph.

The flock had been distant but came to rest much closer

A less prominent wing bar and narrower tail band compared to Blackwit

Also a more upturned bill is obvious here

A much darker bird than the Blackwits

Where's Wally? (Click to enlarge)

The Hudsonian Godwit often showed aggression to its cousins

A bit more mellow here

More underwing action

And one final flash of this distinctive feature

'Is there something interesting about?' asked a passer-by