Venus Pool - Spoonbill!!!!!

Just when you think nothing remotely interesting is happening locally, what should turn up? A Spoonbill no less and there was me..... busy in the garden!! I'm not quite sure when I've left the house so quickly (thanks for the heads up Rob and Geoff!) and despite being nearly an hour after it's arrival it was quite happily feeding out in the middle.....

Busily feeding like a mad thing and catching small fish!

It is there, honest :-)

An obliging wingflap (plus of course the pale bill) clearly a young bird, lots of black on the wing tips.

We had watched it for an hour or so when it started to come ever nearer!

A bit of a ruffle here.

Is this really happening?

Then suddenly, it was feeding in front of the hide! Simply stunning!

It was quite close!!

A quick walk on the mud before it returned to feeding in the middle.

Here's a couple more  close up shots to finish off with....

This is the fourth Spoonbill at Venus Pool. The last one was 10 Dec 1997 and then you have to go back to  25-29 Nov 1990 and  21-22 Oct 1994. We've had quite a wait!!

Chelmarsh - Scoters and BNGs

The Shropshire year list had an injection of interest today with two new birds for the year (cheers Martyn!!) Not just one but three Common Scoters, dozing and drifting in the middle and mark my words, here today, gone tomorrow!! A family group? Male female and a youngster (buff fringed plumage)?

There were two Black-necked Grebes as well which took some tracking down but (again quite distant) here they are.....

I took loads of images and these are pretty representative, maybe more to come.......??

Cley - Lapland Bunting

Visits to Titchwell and Cley didn't produce much for the camera although plenty of waders were produced. A late afternoon walk along the east bank at Cley eventually turned up this skulking male Lapland Bunting :-)

Nearly in the open!

But not quite.....

No time for long write ups, just trying to remain vaguely up to date!!

Leiston - Lesser Grey Shrike

A Shrike a day....... Eases the angst of trying to find venues from vague grid references! After using a bit of common sense and heading for Sizewell from Leiston, I chanced upon a few parked cars and this distant but showy Lesser Grey Shrike :-)

The rest was easy, with a short walk past cottages to the paddocks where this little fella was waiting! Chewing on a cranefly here!

Then showing that large white wing patch on take off....

Eventually, it came closer but never close enough?

Although if asked,  I'd have  settled for this one in advance :-)

Ever nearer but on wires and never sticking for long!

Eyeing up the local insects!

Then one last sit up pose before disappearing further away early afternoon...

Eventually, the closest it came and whilst all still record shot quality, job done......

A Rose-coloured Starling to break the journey back to Norfolk?

Walsey Hills - Red-backed Shrike

The start of a weekend in Norfolk and with the Wilson's Phal having done one..... Next best was the nearby Red-backed Shrike. Showed well in the evening but the light was another matter! A couple of record shots.....

Through a strategic gap in the vegetation!

The grey nape clearly visible so not a juv - adult female.....

Could be another Shrike in the offing tomorrow?

Venus Pool - Kingfisher and Blackwit

Another series of Kingfisher images, this time in much better light!

Plus a very obliging Black-tailed Godwit!!

More to come!!

Venus Pool - Kingfisher in the rain

Cloud and drizzle are not the ideal combination fro photography but with a Kingfisher performing well over a long  period, it was a question of seeing what could be produced? I was shooting  between 800 and 2000 iso  to try and keep a fast enough shutter speed for the action shots.

Simple poses were simple enough.....

But some action was the name of the game - maybe a bit of open wing on landing?

And then, there simply had to be a fish!

Putting it all together......

Rarely landing to give a side on view!

Head on was the norm......

And finally, a long awaited fish toss! A generous amount of luck was used up here :-)

Cropped a bit 'closer'

Oh to have a had a bit of sunshine......