A photographic diary featuring my latest images
Wednesday 20th October 2010
Chew Valley Somerset
Until I went to Chew Valley I had never seen a Water Rail, they are very secretive birds which live in the reeds appearing occasionally to forage at the waters edge. This was my lucky day as I saw three of them and also took a few photographs.
Monday 18th October 2010
Slimbridge
My first visit to Slimbridge and a memorable one, I had the exceedingly good fortune of being there on the day the first Bewick Swans came in from Siberia for the winter. The official Slimbridge site had this to say...."8 BEWICK'S SWANS arrived overnight and were present on the Rushy at first light. As always with the first birds they were quite mobile with a group of five yearlings (second year birds) settling on The Tack Piece. The three adults remained on the Rushy and these included Riso and Risa who is here for her 13th year. This is about a week earlier than we would expect them to arrive". Unfortunately I am not on first name terms with the swans so I can`t tell you who is in these photographs!
Slimbridge also provided me with another first for the website, Barnacle Geese. Apparently there were 130 present on the day I visited.
Look at the rings on this Heron, I bet it was fun getting those on, I see Rod Hull and Emu everytime I think about it!
I photographed five species of duck, Slimbridge has many captive birds but these are all wild visitors.
Pintail
Pochard
Shoveler
Teal
Wigeon
Tuesday 14th October 2010
Hook with Warsash Reserve
An evening walk at Warsash allowed me for the first time to get close enough to photograph a Pintail Duck. A Kestrel hunted above the Reserve and a group of Chiffchaffs fed boisterously in and around the Gorse.
