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My blog will predominantly feature a selection of photographs and reports of recent wildlife photographic trips, mainly in the UK
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A coach trip on a glorious mid September day to The Sussex Wildlife Trust reserve with the SE Herts Group. Just as our leader was organising people into groups a shout went up of "Osprey"! He was dutifully ignored as everyone rushed to catch a glimpse of the bird circling over the river mouth before making an abortive dive. Order was restored before people made their way round the reserve. We had views of Redshank and Greenshank and this young Great Egret feeding closer in.  A small flock of Linnets were feeding and I managed to grab a shot of one on the fence wires, though not helped by the heat haze.  Two Wheatear were spotted but stayed just the wrong side of the wire fence making focus very tricky!  Ringed Plover, Curlew and Kingfisher were added before moving to the central hides where a female Pintail was a good surprise. The star bird there though was a Common Sandpiper. It showed really well in the red vegetation.      On to The Crittall hide next and this is the view you get across the pit.  Fairly quiet there but good fun watching a large group of Cormorants coming and going.   Wigeon numbers were building and good to catch this one flying in.    I don't think I have seen as many Little Grebes in one place before, so it was good to catch this family group.    A few more birds were added on the way back including a female Pintail and a lone Brent Goose. Whilst some broke off early to sample the delights of the cafe I spent some time at the river mouth where Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Sanderling and this Oystercatcher were present.     Away from the birds, it was great to photograph the Grey Seals in the river mouth.     You may remember I mentioned an Osprey at the start and all groups got to see it a few times with at least one time where it came a bit closer. Heat haze was an issue with photography but here are some record shots from the day.            A very enjoyable trip with a great group and wonderful for some to have their first sight of such a stunning bird!
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The objective today was to try and see a juvenile Purple Heron at Gifford's Flash in Suffolk. A very isolated spot, but lots of potential with a few common waders, Hobby and Kingfisher. We located the Heron in the reedbed and got good scope views of its head and neck, but it stayed hidden most of the time, so just this one record shot.  Then a shortish drive to Abberton and the Layer Breton causeway for the Canvasback. Fortunately, some other birders had located it as it was quite distant. Whilst waiting, there was time to photograph a pair of Common Terns with two young.       The Canvasback seemed happy feeding in the distance so a stop for a coffee at the Visitor Centre was in order before trying Billet's Farm. This was quiet but a tip off led us to a spot where we saw three Whinchat and Yellow Wagtails. Back to the causeway in the hope that the Canvas had moved closer. A White Wagtail was a good find.   And a juvenile Little Ringed Plover.  And a single Teal feeding by the shoreline.  You could have been transported to the Mediterranean with 21 distant Spoonbills, and a Cattle Egret.  One of many Little Egrets.  A fishing Grey Heron.  And good numbers of Great Egret!       We relocated the Canvasback asleep on the bank, every so often preening.      It was however, keeping an eye out for danger.   It then went for a quick swim before coming back to land.      A great way to end the day!
An RSPB SE Herts coach trip to Frampton Marsh and unlike last year we had lovely sunny weather! I concentrated more on birding than photography, but did get some shots mainly as we finished near to the Visitor Centre. Highlights were as always the waders, in particular - Little Stints, Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Whimbrel, Golden Plover and Greenshank with a supporting cast of Great Egret, Spoonbills, Whooper Swan and Peregrine. Walking to the sea wall we quickly picked up Great Egret and around 30 Spoonbills.   We had good scope views of the Stints, Curlew Sandpipers and Spotted Redshanks but too distant for any decent pictures. However this juvenile Redshank did oblige.  As did this Lapwing in beautiful light.   There were a few Ruff around giving some more inexperienced birders a chance to get to grips with their different plumages and sizes as they finish their breeding season.      As to be expected, there were large numbers of Black-Tailed Godwits with many still in their brick red Summer plumage.       We get so used to seeing Avocets now, but I never tire of photographing them!       The Avocets were not too keen on sharing their feeding area with the Godwits and the occasional tussle broke out!       At the 360 hide the Greenshank were closer so I was able to take a few shots.      I don't usually do this in a blog, but as there were a few newcomers on the coach and some of the waders were too distant for pictures, I will highlight three of the birds we saw here starting with a Spotted Redshank taken at Dernford, Cambridgeshire.  Little Stint taken at Frampton last October so in Winter plumage rather than the Summer plumage we saw on the trip.  And finally, my bird of the day - Curlew Sandpiper again at Frampton last October.  Another great coach trip with super company and many thanks to all who organised it and led groups. Frampton never disappoints!
So next stop on a long birding day was at Cley Marshes and after well needed coffee and cake it was onto the reserve. Little Egret are fairly easy to spot and we added our second Egret species with this Great Egret from Bishop's hide.   And while on the subject of large White birds we had some wonderful views of seven Spoonbills before five of them flew off.      Waders included a few Black-Tailed Godwits, Redshank and Dunlin as well as Lapwing, showing their colours well in the sunlight.  As ever, the Avocets were a delight to watch and obviously numbers are doing well!       About 20 Ruff had been reported but we only managed to pick four of them out with these two coming a bit closer.    From the three central hides we had a female Marsh Harrier fly by a couple of times.   With regards to smaller birds a group of Goldfinch were coming down to drink and I managed a shot of this juvenile.  Swallows were using the hides to nest in though most had fledged. One bird flew in calling for a close up!  Some chose to perch up on the thatch on the hides.  The stars however were five Cattle Egrets, two of which were males in full breeding plumage. Always good to have a "three Egret day".      A quick trip to the beach gave us a few Sandwich Tern and Oystercatchers, but with rain looking to move in we headed off.  However, news broke of a Red-Backed Shrike at Cavenham Heath which is directly on the way home. We made it in good time, though the weather had turned and as we arrived it started to rain. The good news was that a good friend Mike O'Hanlon was already there and pointed it out for us. An adult female and I managed a couple of record shots before the rain became heavier.    A wonderful way to end the day!
The plan was to have a day at Cley in Norfolk, but it appeared that there were some good birds at Snettisham including a White-Rumped Sandpiper so we called in there first. Surprisingly it was my first ever visit there, but what a magical place! On the long walk up to the shore a male Linnet was very confiding.     When we got to the shore there were a few Ringed Plovers and one or two Turnstones.  As to be expected there were a few Oystercatchers including a pair with a youngster.     There were large numbers of Knot, which were difficult to photograph, but this image gives a sense of the numbers flying around.  The Dunlin were slightly easier!     The White-Rumped Sanpiper evaded us and I managed to miss the Little Stint however, there were a distant group of Sanderling and I obtained some shots of an individual that flew past. Great to see it in Summer plumage instead of the more usual Winter attire.    On the sea was a Mediterranean Gull with a juvenile showing the very scaly plumage.   The Common Terns were outnumbered by Sandwich Terns including some juveniles.               And even better was a small colony of Little Terns, again with some youngsters.        The most unexpected bird of the day was a Turtle Dove which flew along the shore before landing almost in front of us.          A fabulous morning, and in the next blog I will show how we got on at Cley Marshes.
After the excitement of the Franklin's Gull it was on to Oare Marshes in Kent. A look around the cottages failed to locate any Turtle Doves so it was on to East Flood to check out the waders. As to be expected there were good numbers of Black-Tailed Godwits, Avocets and Redshank. Four or five Dunlin still in breeding plumage were good to see as was a Marsh Harrier and briefly, a Yellow Wagtail. The bird we were hoping to see was a Wood Sandpiper, and it duly obliged, albeit distant for photography.  Continuing the Gull theme we also located a couple of Mediterranean Gulls.  A walk around the reserve also gave us Whimbrel, Curlew, and Shelduck. Bearded Tits were heard but not seen and smaller birds included Reed Bunting and some good views of Linnets.     A surprise for me was this Wall Brown butterfly, a species I have never photographed before. Not the best camera set up for butterflies, but I managed a couple of shots.   We located the Bonaparte's Gull on the mud by the slipway. I got some shots of it feeding before it suddenly took off and headed towards the East Flood where it can be tricky to locate, so thankfully we got to see it. It is the 12th year that this North American bird has visited Oare and great to see it in full breeding plumage.      A wonderful end to a great day, and for once we had some decent weather!
A planned trip to Oare Marshes in Kent, but as a 1st Summer Franklin's Gull had been at Crossness for a couple of days we decided to make a detour on the way. Parking up and walking East along the Thames, the smell guided us to our destination at the outfall sewer! There were a few birders there and we soon had some distant views of the bird mixed in with Black-Headed Gulls out beyond the jetty. It had been coming in much closer so we walked on to the favoured spot in the hope it would come in. While waiting, I managed to get some shots of a Common Tern fishing close to shore.          Suddenly, the Franklin's Gull had reappeared on the other side of the jetty and then flew in, literally in front of us! This is a first Summer bird. They breed in North America and are a rare vagrant to Europe. I believe there have been about 100 records in the UK and a lifer for me. Lovely to be able to get some close up shots.          A great start to the day and next stop Oare Marshes which will be coming shortly!
A trip to Walton looking for Little Terns was the plan today, somewhat hampered by unexpected drizzle. It did eventually dry up but not ideal conditions! Walking up the coast from the Tower, the tide was just starting to go down. The first waders we encountered were Turnstones, with quite a few spotted.         The other common wader was Ringed Plover, with quite a few about and one pair had chicks though I did not get any shots of the youngsters.        It was also good to see a few Dunlin, some still sporting full breeding plumage.        Other waders seen included Redshank, Curlew, Avocet and Oystercatchers. The piping calls from the Oystercatchers made a great backdrop to Stone Point.     A couple of shots at the end of Stone Point.   Finally we encountered a couple of Common Terns and two or three Sandwich Terns, all quite distant. Scanning a sandbank offshore I spotted a very small Tern. A Gull buzzed it and a small flock of Terns flew up - Our target bird Little Tern! Again very distant and so no shots. They soon disappeared, but we had another glimpse of four birds a bit later. Walton Channel had good numbers of Barnacle Geese and these were easier to photograph.    If Little Tern was the best bird of the day, Bar-Tailed Godwit was not far behind. One bird was seen on the walk up Stone Point and I managed a few images.        A great day out with some super birds and hopefully we may get some sun for future trips!
I won't give the location away as these birds had a nest, but suffice to say somewhere in the Lea Valley. Super birds to watch bringing in large amounts of food for the young.          All shots taken from a long distance. A fairly busy place, but the birds were unconcerned with people passing by.
A visit to Minsmere with the RSPB SE Herts Group. Again not the best weather but we managed to avoid most of the showers and had a few sunny breaks as well. The wind made it hard work looking for smaller birds but as ever, Minsmere always ensures a great day out. A few Barnacle Geese were present on the Scape.  As always, good numbers of Avocets.  A bit too early in the year for returning waders but we saw Oystercatcher, Redshank, Lapwing, Ringed Plover and a flock of non breeding Black-Tailed Godwits that every so often would take to the skies.  Unlike the previous year there were no nesting Little Terns but we saw three other species, firstly Common Tern.  The star bird was non breeding Roseate Tern, a lifer for me! Totally black bill and very pale when seen in flight, much more delicate than a Common Tern. Sadly too distant for pictures. The final species were Sandwich Terns with good numbers present. The first shot shows the size difference with Common Tern.         Minsmere is always a good site for Mediterranean Gulls and I was lucky to have two birds fairly close in for some shots.      And finally on the Scrape a couple of Kittiwakes, with one being buzzed by a Sandwich Tern.      It was then on to the Bittern Hide narrowly avoiding a deluge! A few Marsh Harriers were present including this female.   I just missed great views of Bearded Tits at Island Mere hide, but this was more than compensated by some incredible views of Hobbies back at the Bittern hide.              A fantastic trip with great company and big thanks to Robert Kitchen for organising!
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