Sam And Lisa's Wildlife Photos

Yarner Wood

2012-01-23T22:14:00.000Z

On the way home from Slimbridge Lisa and I stopped off at Yarner Wood to photograph woodland birds from the hide.

Bewick's

2012-01-21T10:04:00.000Z

Milking The Wild Side of Slimbridge

2012-01-19T17:48:00.000Z

Pochard and Geese From Slimbridge

2012-01-16T21:23:00.000Z

Lisa captured this Pochard,

I captured this flight shot, good light allowed faster shutter speeds

The Bewick Swan's were in short supply, one hundred and ninety to be precise. Normally there are three hundred plus, the numbers are down due to the mild winter, a sign of intelligence they fly only as far as they need to escape the weather.

White Fronted Geese taken from the Holden Hide, I could not sort out whether any Greenland White Fronts were amongst the European White Fronts

Bittern At Slimbridge

2012-01-15T15:42:00.000Z

This showy Bittern viewed from the Ziess hide at Slimbrige was one of three overwintering there.

The Wild Side of Slimbridge

2012-01-14T23:14:00.000Z

It as been a while since my last post, but here we go again. Lisa and I revisited Slimbridge Wildlife and Wetland Trust concentrating on the wild birds, luckily the weather had improved and we managed to capture a few images, so the next few posts will show some of our successes from our two day visit. The weather was interesting, as day one the temperature was around ten to thirteen degrees Celsius and the second day was minus one to plus three. This change in temperature caused a major change in bird population, basically the Golden Plover and Lapwing pushed off probably down to Cornwall for a warm up.
Female Pochard

Scaup

There was a lot of Shelduck courtship action

Merry Christmas From Santa and Rudolph

2011-12-15T19:01:00.000Z

I have been conspicuous by my absence lately and hopefully will get back into my photography soon, to all my followers and fellow bloggers have a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust Photograph Group

2011-11-27T19:08:00.000Z

Today I attended a field meeting with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Photographic Group, I didn't have a lot of success but I put that down to too much chatting. Here are a couple of shots of a Kestrel and shot of some of the group,also spot the Ring Necked Duck

More images from Hayle ( Dunlin And Grey Plover

2011-11-23T20:51:00.000Z

All common but good tosee and photograph. Dunlin and Grey Plover.

Pale Bellied Brent Geese

2011-11-22T18:28:00.001Z

Me and my son Simon went to Hayle this afternoon and captured these Pale Bellied Brent Geese at Carnsew Basin at Hayle.

Cranes On The Horizon

2011-11-17T17:58:00.000Z

Lisa and I went down to the Lizard peninsula today in hope of connecting with the visiting six Cranes. I had heard that Steve Rogers (SW Optics) was also on the hunt for them so I phoned him from Lisa' mobile and his directions was spot on. He said they had flown and he was tracking them around the Kennack Sands area. I stayed around the original location and within twenty minutes they had returned. We viewed them from the road that ran by Little Trethvas farm towards Cadgwith and on to Grade, I would say around 300 to 400 metres past Little Trethvas and they are located in maize stubble (corn on the cob) on the right hand side. Photography was difficult as I was fighting the light, basically shooting into the sun and they were distant, the 800mm lens helped immensely.

Bufflehead

2011-11-12T18:14:00.002Z

Work has seriously clipped my wings and confined me to weekend birding, today I managed to connect with the female juvenile Bufflehead at Loe Bar. First found by George Jefferys on the Lizard peninsular and allowed some wonderful photographic moments for Steve Rogers and all. Unfortunately for me the Bufflehead confined itself to mostly the mid-water section of Loe Pool viewed from Degibna, so the distance was significant, it was mobile and elusive but I managed to grab a couple of reasonable record shots.I have also included a couple of shots of Northern Shoveler duck who were far more confiding.With all these American species visiting our county my Daughter in Law must be happy as she was born in America, to an American Mother and a Cornish father.

Great White Egret

2011-11-05T16:48:00.001Z

I had a couple of much appreciated phone calls today with news of a Great White Egret arrival at Marazion. I arrived only to see the bird fly into the reeds. John Chapel who saw the Egret fly in marked its landing place in the reeds, so we all lined up and played the waiting game. Within half an hour it flew up out of the reeds and went west.

Yellow Browed Warbler

2011-10-13T20:48:00.001+01:00

The first of the Yellow Browed Warblers have started to migrate through with two found in Cot Valley today and one in Kenidjack. Here are a few images of the individual located at the bottom end of Cot Vally. I captured these around 1730 this afternoon in poor light and foggy weather.

Glossy on a Gloomy Day

2011-10-09T19:21:00.001+01:00

On what was a gloomy day with fine rain me an Lisa's very old Uncle went off to Stithians today to hopefully connect with the Glossy Ibis.We had Instant success from the Stuart Hutchens Hide only to be foiled by two dog walkers who flushed the Ibis, my understanding was you should stick to the footpath and not venture onto the reserve. We soon found the Glossy and had better views from the road although the chain link fence impeded photography. The following images are record shots as the distance in poor weather and poor light was about 150 two 200 metres, we also saw the Pec Sand and an adult Med Gull.

Juvenile Rose Coloured Starling

2011-10-08T18:02:00.000+01:00

This Juv Rosy Starling has been in St Just for over a week feeding on a bird table in a private front garden.

Raptors

2011-10-03T20:37:00.003+01:00

Whilst out yesterday I photographed one of these Raptors soaring the thermals and looking for prey, some love these highly evolved creatures and others despise them. One of my favourite birds is the Peregrine Falcon, along with the Sparrowhawk with its supreme flying skills. The Peregrine is the fastest flying bird in the world and has been recorded in its stoop (or dive) at over two hundred miles per hour, in fact Frightful a captive bred Peregrine was clocked at 242 miles per hour http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/birds-animals/birds-of-prey/falcon_peregrine_velocity.html

The reason for this blog is to highlight the plight of our Raptors, we recently have had incidents of intentional poisoning of our birds of prey under the pretence of saving our songbirds.In Gloucester, Devon and in my home town we have experienced poisonings, birds such as the endangered Goshawks, Sparrowhawks and our Peregrines have suffered by the hands of these ill informed criminals. Deadly poisons have been used lacing dead pigeons with the poisons and leaving them in places, even public places endangering children. The fallacy of blaming our song bird decline on raptors is purely based on hear say and myth . Check this link for the scientific facts http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/birdsofprey_songbirds_tcm9-188711.pdf

Convolvulus Hawk Moth

2011-10-02T19:38:00.000+01:00

John Swann trapped and photographed this Convolvulus Hawk Moth today, when we wonder at bird migration this moth has made its way up from North Africa, amazing!!!

Nanquidno Valley

2011-10-01T22:15:00.000+01:00

What seemed like the hottest day of the year I went down to Nanquidno valley to try and catch up with the Hawfinch unfortunately I had only fleeting views in the morning and nothing in the afternoon. John Chapel got me onto three Yellow Wagtails and we had great views of a Whinchat and Pied Flycatcher, also two Redstarts push through but were distant.

Pectoral Sandpiper At Tregiffian

2011-09-24T19:28:00.001+01:00

Have You Met Miss Jones

2011-09-23T20:54:00.001+01:00

If not have a look at her blog, a new blogger on the block

http://www.kathrynjonesphotography.blogspot.com/

Juvenile Long Tailed Skua At Pendeen

2011-09-19T20:04:00.001+01:00

Juv Long Tailed Skua

Arctic Skua

These images are probably the most important shots I captured at yesterdays sea watch. Long Tailed Skuas are known as the rarest species of Skua we see in Cornwall and at distance they can be difficult to differentiate from the juv Arctic Skua. You will note the barring on the rump and that is one identifying feature, also the the wing primary quills show at the most two white stripes (on the Arctic this can be as much as five or six and gives the appearance of a white panel) and thirdly the overall appearance is one of a grey cold look. I am told that this could be the first image captured of a Long Tailed Skua migrating through the Cornish Seas.

Sea Watch At Pendeen

2011-09-19T00:00:00.000+01:00

Sabine's Gull Larus sabini, above

I did a sea watch today at Pendeen, the three hour morning session without the camera produced some superb views of seabirds, Sabine's were prominent with a couple of Leach's Petrel outside the rocks, I also had Sooty Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater Pomarine Skua, ArcticSkua, Great Skua, Grey Phalerope and a possible juv Longtail Skua.. The images were captured during the afternoon.

Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus ( Pale Morph)

Arctic Skua pale morph and dark morph

Great Skua Stercorarius skua ( Bonxie)

Lesser Yellow Legs Tringa flavipes

2011-09-14T21:40:00.002+01:00

The Wader fest go's on, thanks to the recent hurricane that must have caused massive disruption to the annual North American Wader migration, as loads of rare Americans have been dumped on our county. This evening I captured this Lesser Yellow Legs having dipped on the rarer Greater Yellow Legs the night before. These images were taken at Drift reservoir we also saw the Semi-palmated Sandpiper (another North American species.

Arctic Tern Portraits

2011-09-12T09:46:00.003+01:00

Arctic Tern At Boscathnoe

2011-09-11T17:48:00.000+01:00

Badgers

2011-09-10T20:32:00.004+01:00

What a birding, week Baird's Sandpiper, Buff Breasted Sandpiper and Pectorals seen in West Cornwall and I missed it. The family, with the new addition, spent four days in Centre Parks at Longleat. It was my first experience of Centre Parks and we had a great time. The site is located in Longleat Forest with Plenty of Grey Squirrels ( vermin to some)and the usual woodland birds such as Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Woodpeckers and Tawny Owls. The highlight was a Badger family visiting our patio area in the late evening, with only the double glazing of the patio door between us and the Badgers we had really close views, at one point there were five together feeding on peanuts,

Western Bonelli's Warbler

2011-08-21T16:39:00.001+01:00

Today I photographed this Western Bonelli's Warbler found by Mark Wallace yesterday at Bosistow near Porthgwarra.It Over winters in tropical West Africa and breeds generally in Spain, France, Italy etc. I would guess that the recent South Easterlies pushed it off course on its return journey.

Drift Reservoir

2011-08-18T21:57:00.002+01:00

Common Sandpiper

Juvenile Ruff

Green Sandpiper

Wheatear

Catch up birding yesterday and today, yesterday evening and this evening I went to Drift Dam to catchup with the wader fest there. The water levels are low exposing mud banks creating great habitat. I was lucky enough to have some great views in front of the hide to night, last night was the same. Knot,Ruff, Green Sandpiper Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover and Wheatear was seen tonight and last night it included the Wood Sandpiper,

Moths And Birds

2011-08-06T20:18:00.001+01:00

Blogger is acting weird, all the images in this upload was linked together. The first image is of a Rosy Footman Moth, The second a Wheatear taken at Porthgwarra and the third shows how low the water level is at Drift reservoir with a Common Sandpiper on a tree stump that would normally be submerged.

Black Kite

2011-07-28T21:07:00.001+01:00

Another first in July, I was driving back from grandad duties this evening when the mobile rang and who should be calling was John and Eva, a Black Kite was at Chapel Carn brea, this was Ideal as I was already on the road heading for Chapel Carn Brea, Arriving within five minutes I jumped out of the car and John immediately got me onto the bird. We had wonderful overhead views then two Ravens harried the Kite and away it went. I drove home, got the camera and returned to the location and was awarded further views of the Black Kite. The images are record shots but who cares, a first for me in Cornwall. I greatly appreciated the call as I missed the one over Drift Reservoir that hung around for three hours.

A First In July

2011-07-25T19:50:00.001+01:00

Sorry folks, I have been a bit slack on my photography but my time is taken up with this Lifer for me and Lisa, our first Grandchild

Pendeen Watch

2011-07-17T18:15:00.001+01:00

With the season of sea watching upon us and a strong North Westerly wind, I ventured down to Pendeen Watch with the big lens hoping for a close shot of an Arctic Skua or Bonxie. No luck with the aforementioned but I did have a few close encounters with the Gannet and a midway encounter with Manx Shearwaters.

A Mixed Bag

2011-07-16T11:34:00.003+01:00

A few images from the last couple of photographic trips, the above and below images are of a Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar feeding on Ragwort, I captured these images at Upton Towans. The image below I experimented with flash gun, another discipline that is confusing to me.
This Tawny Owl I captured in Tregeseal Valley my aim was to try and photograph Bats .
Pyrmidal Orchid

A Sparse Weekend

2011-07-11T22:45:00.002+01:00

Three from the weekend, the House Martin was whizzing around Lands End and the Goldfinch and Large Skipper I captured in the garden.

Perranporth

2011-07-08T19:01:00.004+01:00

Steve Rogers (SW Optics) kindly showed me the centre of the universe, in Cornwall, for butterflies located at Perranporth. Many Silver Studded Blues were found in a period that is considered to be the end of the first flush of these little stunners. We also found half a dozen Dark Green Fritillary butterflies amongst other species. The first two images are of the Dark Green Fritillary, the third is a Small Skipper and the last a Silver Studded Blue back lit by the sun.

Silver Studded Blue

2011-06-29T21:43:00.002+01:00

This evening I gave the Macro lens a run out, my target species was the Silver Studded Blue around the cliffs of Pendeen. I had reasonable success, although the first shot is slightly out of focus, it is my favourite due to the back ground. The size of this Butterfly is approximately half the size of a postage stamp or less.

The Last Few Images From Mallorca

2011-06-28T20:03:00.007+01:00

The Last Few Images from Mallorca,

They say the best back ground for an image is an uncluttered one, the ditch water in this image does the trick.

I know that the little Egret is common here in England, but this frame filled image is well worth posting

Sardinian Warbler
Red Knobbed Coot

Still More Mallorca

2011-06-21T22:00:00.003+01:00

We are still milking Mallorca, the first image is a Swallow Tail Butterfly, the second and third are images of Marbled Duck. I think these may be a re-introduction, and the last two are images of a Nightingale. This brown jobby's song is wonderful and did they sing, their song could be heard all over.

Mallorca Herons

2011-06-15T17:42:00.007+01:00

Black Crowned Night Heron

Squacco Heron and Night Heron chick

Purple Heron

Mallorca Raptors

2011-06-14T19:25:00.003+01:00

The best Raptor was without doubt this Eleonoras Falcon, according to a couple of expert birders it was a Peregrine as it was to early for then Eleonoras, but I am having none of it. Most definately an Eleonoras. Check out this link for some interesting information Migratory route of Eleonora's falcon revealed for first time | e! Science News: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
We also had an Osprey fly over, Peregrine Falcon and Kestrel. A trip to the mountains proved fruitless for Black Vulture etc.

Male Marsh Harrier

A very Distant Female Marsh

Mallorca, Cattle Egret

2011-06-13T20:37:00.005+01:00

The Cattle Egret in the S'albufera are numerous, the Egret's breeding site can be seen when approaching the centre of the reserve on the far river bank, in the trees. However, the hide is sited near the Egrets location, but on the blind side of the tree line where they nested . They would fly from the nest site on a route in front of the hide which meant it was brilliant for capturing flight shots , the centre image is virtually full frame. The first image I captured when exiting the hide, the weather had became inclement once again forcing this adult and its young over the tree line looking for shelter, the leaden sky adds atmosphere and provides a brilliant background for this species. Please click on the image to enlarge

The back drop on this image was the distant mountain range shrouded in mist. Doesn't sound like Mallorca does it

Mallorca, Purple Swamp Hen( Gallinule)

2011-06-12T16:40:00.005+01:00

These were quite difficult to get onto as they seem to stay in the reed bed, but I came across this close Swamp Hen whilst moving hides.

Chick Study (Mallorca)

2011-06-12T09:08:00.003+01:00

We arrived in Mallorca to glorious weather and noticeably the water bodies were at a very low level, then for the next nine days it rained, granted we did have periods of sunshine but more often it rained. However, this had one major positive effect, the water levels rose significantly and pushed species such as the Little Ringed Plover and their chicks closer to the hides.

Little Ringed Plover Chick
Kentish Plover Juvenile
Stilt sheltering chicks
Black Winged Stilt Chick

Mallorca Plovers

2011-06-11T16:48:00.004+01:00

Rare species were off the list as we had missed the migration , although everything is rare to me, but the benefits of this time of year were great. From all of the hides in the S'albufera reserve there were adults raising young. We were captivated by the efforts of the Little Ringed Plover and the Kentish Plovers stoic efforts to keep their young safe. The Little Ringed Plover attacked and distracted everything that came within a short distance of the chicks, they would feign injury to attract the perceived predator away from their young. Lisa managed to capture the action shots, the Little Ringed Plover dive bombing the Kentish Plover is my Favourite. I captured the first two.
I am having problems with blogger at the moment folks, I don't seem to be able to leave any comments on the blogs I follow. Hopefully it will sort itself out. Click on the image they are better enlarged

Mallorca, The S' albufera Wetland, Chapter 1

2011-06-09T22:17:00.003+01:00

Lisa and I decided it was time for a holiday, but where should we go? I wanted to include some bird photography and bird watching so we decided on Mallorca and as close as possible to the

S'albufera wetland, a reserve that has been protected for twenty years located close to the coastal area of Alcudia Bay. We saw a number of species and had Black Winged Stilts galore.

I wanted action or flight shots of this species, there were plenty of opportunity for the poser shots, but on regular intervals these feisty birds would become aggressive to all and sundry generally in defence of their young.The next few posts will revolve around our trip to Mallorca. Please click on the image to enlarge.

Garden Activity

2011-05-23T22:02:00.003+01:00

One reason I don't use slug pellets, this Black bird collects four slugs at a time and rubs the slime off on the concrete path. I guess four slugs equals four chicks.

I fixed a nest box inside our Hawthorn tree during last autumn, and this spring we have breeding Great Tits in the garden. The parents are generally feeding them every two minutes, they are really hard working. I allowed myself one shot of the nest box only, we sit in the garde watching them coming and going, the chicks are in fine voice when the parents bring food.

Father

Starling with young on my neighbours bird table, awful background I'm afraid

Swallow, Sand martin, House Martin And Swift

2011-05-23T21:25:00.007+01:00

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Click on the images and make them large for better viewing.

Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)

House Martin,(Delichon urbicum) not the best shot of a House Martin, the image should really show its white rump.

Swift ( Apus apus)

Fulmar Petrel

2011-05-20T19:19:00.003+01:00

One of my favourite resident sea birds the Fulmar, I photographed these at the North Cliffs, Nr Gwithian. A Common species and they do check you out, I don't regard them as an easy species to capture on camera.

One Skylark And Four Sand Martin

2011-05-19T22:00:00.005+01:00

I captured these images today at Gwithian, Hayle, and I can tell you that the Sand Martins are difficult to capture.

I had a bit of trouble with Blogger last week, somehow it failed to recognise that I had posted and a few comments left by followers disappeared into cyber space.

Another new blogger on the block, have a look http://jeremy-towerphotography.blogspot.com/ I reckon he should have called it Kilroy Was Here. You can bank on some great images as Jeremy was a category winner of the International Federation Of Wildlife Photographers. Jammy .......

Oystercatcher

2011-05-18T18:39:00.000+01:00

Comparison images of Temmincks Stint and Little Stint

2011-05-14T12:33:00.008+01:00

Yesterday was a rush job, I had a call from Paul Freestone regarding the Temmincks Stint on Ryan's field , Hayle at around 1.30pm, and I was at work. Luckily I have a good business partner so I am able to leave early to capture this species on camera. Another Lifer for me, as most rarities are, I found it difficult to photograph the Temminck's with the light and distance to subject and the colour of the Temmincks Stint as it blended in so well with its background, also I had limited time. I have included a Little Stint I photographed two years ago on Marazion for comparison that is probably juv / first winter. The Temmincks is a rather plain, grey brown in colour and lacks the white stripes of the Little Stint, above all the leg colour of the Temmincks are tinged yellow as opposed to the dark legs of the Little Stint.

Little Stint

Temmincks Stint

2011-05-13T17:39:00.002+01:00

A quick three Images of the Temmincks Stint at Ryans Field today.

Skylark

2011-05-12T18:57:00.000+01:00

Whilst walking to the Black Winged Stilt this Skylark caught my eye and I couldn't resist a quick burst of shots at this amazing bird.

Black Winged Stilt Head Shots

2011-05-10T19:20:00.005+01:00

The Black Winged Stilts only stayed a day, the featture of this species are undoubtedly its legs, but I do like head shots so I have excessively cropped some images for this post.

We have got a new blogger on the block, I would recommend you have a good look at this , here is the link http://www.images-naturally.co.uk/ .

Black Winged Stilt

2011-05-08T16:37:00.003+01:00

Attention was drawn today to St Gothian Sands, Gwithian when four stunning Black Winged Stilts were found by Paul Freestone et al http://www.cornwall-birding.co.uk/ , what a find. Buffeted by the wind and harsh light everyone snapped away hoping for that perfect shot.

American Golden Plover

2011-05-02T17:32:00.003+01:00

I photographed the American Golden Plover at Hayle today, although it was distant I enjoyed capturing the images of the Plover feeding with a summer plumaged Bar Tailed Godwit.

Attempting Macro

2011-04-29T20:55:00.005+01:00

On Thursday my intention was a macro session, a discipline I struggle with. To me macro should be done from a tri-pod, but by the time you set up the tri-pod your subject has flown. The single dragonfly shot was hand held, and the male and female were captured from a tri-pod. The Common Whitethroat was a pot shot from the car with a 300mm lens.

Bumble Bee probing kidny vetch

Large Red Damselfly

Pied Flycatcher and Tawny Owl

2011-04-24T21:51:00.004+01:00

I revisited Yarner Wood in Dartmoor this Easter weekend, looking to photograph three species, a Pied Flycatcher, a Wood Warbler and a Redstart. As you can see I dipped on the last two but I managed to grab an average image of the Pied Fly and a mediocre shot of a Tawny Owl. I found the photography difficult as we arrived midday with high sun and strong shadow.

Moths

2011-04-24T20:48:00.003+01:00

With the spring warm weather the moths are early this year, here are three of many caught last Thursday.

The Emperor shown here are sometimes mistaken for a butterfly as it flits across Heath Moors.

A V Pug

The Silver Y is a migratory species generally arriving in the British Isles from May onwards. Check out this link for more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Y

Three More Of The Gull-Billed Tern

2011-04-10T20:31:00.001+01:00

Click on the image to enlarge.

Red- Throated Diver

2011-04-08T22:42:00.002+01:00

On Thursday we went to St Andrews Pool to photograph this long staying Red Throated Diver, I spent a couple of hours trying to capture shots with some action or behaviour. With no sign of a summer plumage and normally Red Throated Divers have moved North by now, it is thought that this individual may be injured.

Gull Billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

2011-04-07T20:49:00.006+01:00

Things are gradually hotting up with the temperature and rare migrants, with the recent Purple Heron at Lands End, and now a Gull Billed Tern between Lands End and Porthgwarra. This individual has been scouring the recently ploughed fields for flies etc, its aerobic skills are phenomenal as it plummets to earth stopping inches short to grab that unsuspecting insect. For more information click on the link http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=061053 Click on the images to enlarge

The Wonder Of Niger Seed

2011-03-28T22:14:00.001+01:00

Summer Plumaged Black-Tailed Godwit ( Limosa limosa )

2011-03-20T09:43:00.006Z

Another staggering species from Hayle Estuary, a once common species and now under threat, classified as a red Status species. Follow this link to understand Red status http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/status_explained.aspx

Ruff Enough, At Hayle

2011-03-19T18:46:00.006Z

A good five hours out today with a walking encyclopedia on birds, the first stop was at Penzance to see the Rosy Starling , unfortunately no luck and we gave up within half an hour . Although the residents we met were friendly it was not the best place to bird watch. We then had news that a Waxwing was still at Treneere so it was onto Treneere, and we got some obscured views of it feeding on a Cotoneaster. How amazing is that, a Waxwing still in Cornwall at the end of March. We pessimistically went on to Kenneggy Cove hoping to see the Velvet Scoter, and after a few wrong turns we found the cove and the Velvet Scoter, what a bonus, another tick for the day. Decisions, decisions where next, we decided to go to Hayle Estuary and was I glad we did. We found six Ruff ( Philomachus pugnax) on the estuary, a species, I was yet to photograph in Cornwall. We also found a staggering Black Tailed Godwit in full summer plumage, a great day and a blog to follow with the Blackwit.

Greenland White-fronted Goose

2011-03-12T18:50:00.006Z

Here are a couple of images of the Ist Winter Greenland White-fronted Goose at Drift Dam (CBWPS Reserve). This individual has overwintered mainly at Drift Dam, and if you saw it when it first appeared you will note the significant development of its white facial blaze.These images were brilliantly digiscoped by John Swann. Please note these images do not belong to me ,so if you want to use them please contact John through the comments section of this blog.

Whooper Swan At Drift Dam

2011-03-11T18:25:00.003Z

I photographed this Whooper at Drift Reservoir today residing with Mute Swans, it reminds me of the Whooper I photographed at Drift last year, in all probability it is the same swan.

Woodland Birds

2011-03-11T07:59:00.002Z

Lisa and I had a midweek break to Dartmoor, we took a walk around Yarner Wood and come across a couple of Siskin on feeders around a bird hide. I only took the compact camera, and sorely wished that I had taken the DSLR when presented with the opportunity to photograph woodland birds so close. There were Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was also being tracked around the woods, the Lesser Spotted had been on the feeders earlier. As usual I missed the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

Spring Is In The Air

2011-03-03T21:23:00.005Z

A trip to Walmsley today in bright sunshine. My aim was to photograph the three Spoonbill and Tundra Peregrine, no luck with the peregrine and only just managed a flight shot of the Spoonbill. Plenty of Reed Bunting around and we had a reasonable views of the Pink Foot geese and the Tundra Bean Goose, we also viewed a Green Sandpiper, Black tail Godwit along with the Pochard, Gadwell, Shoveler Duck, Bullfinch etc. I had a great day with good company, namely Adrian Davey, a highly experienced wildlife photographer and known as the Andy Rouse of Launceston (lanson)http://www.adriandaveybirdphotography.co.uk/index.html have a look at his web site .

Spoonbill

Reed Bunting
Grey Heron

Three Pink Foot and One Bean

Red Legged Partridge

Cornwall Wild Life Trust Photographic Group Field Trip

2011-02-27T20:26:00.003Z

I have been slacking lately with my photography, stuck to the armchair and glued to the television and above all, work. However after a field trip with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust camera club I am re-invigorated. First off, we went to Swanpool at Falmouth without much success, then the group split, and a few of us visited Stithians Reservoir. The following images were all captured at Stithians.

Reed Bunting

Dunnock

Water Rail

Greater Spotted Woodpecker

Automobilia

2011-02-21T21:03:00.004Z

We seem to wreak havoc with wildlife on our roads, I came across the Otter when I was on the way to work, and photographed it with my compact camera. The location , on the A30 bypassing Treneere Estate, in Penzance was unusual, and some way from water. European Otters are experiencing a successful recovery after the devastation of the pesticide DDT and over hunting, but rarely seen. I have seen very few Otters in my life time, some say that when they are seen in this way, it may indicate that they are doing well . As for me, I think it is another sad indictment of modernity.
Early morning light made photography difficult.

Black Heads ( Larus ridibundus)

2011-02-15T08:59:00.002Z

I stole a couple of hours off from work yesterday afternoon, to photograph the reported Whooper Swan at Drift reservoir. No luck with the Whooper so I had to resort to photographing the Black Headed Gulls. A common species in Cornwall and always obliging.

Marathon Sanderling

2011-02-04T19:47:00.009Z

Since my last Sanderling post, one of the blogs I follow Fair Isle http://fair-isle.blogspot.com/ found a colour ringed Sanderling. Colour ringing interests me so I did a little research on Sanderling and found an interesting statistic.

Sanderling Marathon
A sanderling, with a departure weight of just over 100g, has flown the 6,000km from Norway to Ghana in less than five days. The bird was photographed on 11 August 2009 in chilly, damp South Norway. On 16 August a Ghanaian biologist spotted him under the coconut palms on Esiama beach. The sanderling was recognized by the coloured rings on its legs. Biologists from the University of Groningen and the University of Ghana in Accra gave the birds coloured leg rings to learn more about how they live and their survival chances. You can read more about this story here and about the IWSG Sanderling Project here . This information can be found on this web site http://www.cr-birding.be/.

Sanderling

2011-01-31T22:14:00.000Z

Probably the most photographed Sanderling in West Cornwall.

Goosander

2011-01-30T16:40:00.006Z

More Sawbills, as today we went down to Hayle once again to see the Ring-necked duck, and we also visited Carnsew Basin . The Goosanders were in the channel between Carnsew Basin and Lelant, fourteen in total and all female. Also at Carnsew we recorded a Med Gull and the Slav Grebe. Click on the images to enlarge

Sawbill Comparisons

2011-01-28T20:05:00.004Z

These images are of two of the species we viewed on Thursday, it shows the difficulty in differentiating between female Goosanders ( Mergus Merganser) and female Red Breasted Merganser ( Mergus Serrator) in their winter plumage. When I took these images the three of us thought what great comparison images they would make. The Goosander is the outer bird with the Merganser the closest. The structure of the Goosander is of a heavier build with a visible demarcation of the red head and neck colour, the bill is thicker and more hooked although not so prominent on this individual. The merganser is of less stature with a thinner neck and bill, and smaller head. The head colour red and similar to the Goosander but has no demarcation with the neck colour and graduates to a a dirty brown to grey. These two individuals are probably first winter birds which further compounds the problem of identification as their adult plumage's have not been fully developed. I have to say I wobbled slightly when studying these images as the bills are very alike ,and the Goosander lacks a white throat patch, but I feel that this is down to their age. Cornwall has enjoyed high numbers of Sawbills this winter and noticeably, most are females.
Thanks to Steve Rogers and John Swann for the discussion and facts on identifying these species.

Ring Necked Duck

2011-01-27T16:47:00.005Z

Today, in the teeth of a biting North Easterly wind at St Gothian, myself, John Swann and Brian Dodds captured this Drake Ring Necked Duck. This American species is usually an annual visitor to Cornwall but sometimes can be an escapee from private collections. They can be difficult to distinguish from Tufted duck when swimming with them, the points to look for are the lack of tuft, the white band on its beak, the size and shape of the beaks nib, and the white shoulder spur that graduates to grey on the flank. Don't look for a ring on its neck because it hasn't got one. Species of note seen today are as follows
1 Ring Necked Duck, 10 Knot at Copperhouse 2 Red Breasted Merganser 4 Goosander 1 Slavonian Grebe at Carnsew Basin 1 Pacific Diver at Marazion.

A Mixed Bag

2011-01-11T19:50:00.006Z

The following images were taken today bar the Bewick's Swan, I am experimenting with aperture and ISO, shooting at f8 to F11 and pushing the ISO to achieve reasonable shutter speeds .

Green shank/ Hayle Estuary

Mediterranean Gull/ Newlyn Green

Wigeon/ Carnsew Basin

Goosander, Greater Scaup and Northern Shoveler

2011-01-08T21:31:00.004Z

All of the following shots are Lisa,' with a visit to St Gothian and Carbis Bay, mainly to catch up with the Female Scaup at St Gothian. We first went to Carbis and Lisa captured the Goosander, the hard Autumn weather has driven a multitude of species down to the South West of England with high numbers of Goosander. Shoveler duck are a usual winter visit and the Greater Scaup a regular winter visitor habituating in the fjord, Icelandic and Tundra regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Northern Shoveler (anas clypeata)

Goosander (mergus merganser)

Greater Scaup (athya merila)

Greater Scaup

Northern Shoveler

Sparrowhawk (accipiter nisus) At Stithians

2011-01-06T20:33:00.004Z

The Bewick Swans were special, but this Sparrowhawk was sublime as it posed perfectly for me in low light conditions, with rain and thick cloud. ISO was 1000 and the shutter speed 1/160th of second.

Bewick Swans (cygnus columbianus) At Stithians

2011-01-06T17:40:00.003Z

A long day at cold Stithians Reservoir payed dividends today, John Swann and I arrived at the res to find the warden doing his excellent work and clearing the paths to the hides. Asking if the Bewicks had been seen, the answer was a resounding "no" they have only been seen in the afternoon. So it was chin up get in the hides and lets see what comes and go. The morning drifted by with some nice local species, one being a stunning Sparrow Hawk allowing JS to grow his already large year list. By lunch time and the onset of hypothermia, and no Bewick Swans ,we decided to have a look around the fields of the dam, to see if we could find out where they may be feeding.

Unsucessfully we returned to the Stuart Hutchens hide and there they where all eight of them, four adults and four juveniles.

Great Northern Diver, Great Northern Loon, Common Loon

2011-01-04T19:33:00.003Z

A comment in my last entry prompted me to do this post. One of my favourite followers from Montana asked the question, is the Great Northern Diver the same species as the North American Common Loon? The answer is yes, the Great Northern Diver, The Great Northern Loon and the Common Loon are the same species, their Latin name is Gavia Immer. Their main range is in North American breeding in deep water lakes and bays in woodland, but a breeding population of 300 to 500 birds exists in Iceland. These are more likely, the Great Northern Loons, we see, overwintering in Cornwall, the far south west of England. So thanks for that Mona, that will teach me to be more accurate with my narratives, and to anyone who hasn't checked out Montana girls blog just click on this link below it is well worth it. http://girlinmontana.blogspot.com/

I have uploaded two images I took about a year ago of a Great Northern Loon I captured in Newlyn Harbour.

More From The Cove

2011-01-03T21:33:00.004Z

Long Tailed Duck

Dunlin

Sanderling

Slavonian Grebe

Great Northern Diver

Slavonian Grebe At Sennen

2011-01-03T14:28:00.002Z

I returned to Sennen Cove today hoping for closer shots of the Long Tailed Duck, no luck with the duck but this confiding Slavonian performed for me. The light levels once again a problem using high ISO settings but I had a productive couple of hours, with Great Northern Diver, Long Tail Duck but distant, Grey Plover, and close Dunlin, Sanderling and Ringed Plover.

Long Distance Long Tailed Duck

2011-01-02T16:05:00.003Z

This handsome, full adult, Drake Long tailed Duck was photographed today at Sennen Cove. I would love to get closer to this stunning duck (tomorrow hopefully). Please click on the image to enlarge

Round Up Of New Years Eve

2011-01-01T19:28:00.003Z

Pale Bellied Brent Goose

Black Redstart At Newlyn Lighthouse Pier.

Eider Duck

2011-01-01T10:17:00.002Z

I photographed these two Eider Duck yesterday just off the promenade in Penzance. The distance and the poor light made photography difficult. New years Eve was a good day for birding and photography, lets hope it is a sign of things to come.

Grey Phalarope on a Grey Day

2010-12-31T17:41:00.003Z

The crowds were out today viewing this confiding Grey Phalarope at Tolcarne Beach. It is a pity the light wasn't better as the weather was dull with a biting easterly wind cutting across Mounts Bay. What a bird though, such a small wader that overwinters in the Atlantic.

Black Cap Like Apples

2010-12-29T20:01:00.001Z

What a tongue.

Odds and Ends

2010-12-28T21:40:00.001Z

Golden Plover Curlew

Blackbirds love Blueberries

The Feisty Fieldfare

2010-12-27T19:11:00.004Z

I think I am a bit OCD with photography as Christmas day I could not resist a few images of a Fieldfare in the garden. These feisty little thrushes defend every bit of food they find. They love apples and defended them against all other incomers.

Good Ol' Santa, Waxwing In The Garden

2010-12-24T18:28:00.004Z

Panic photography grabbed me by the throat when I arrived home from work tonight, as I walked into the house calling for Lisa I was told to keep quiet as there were two Bohemian Waxwing in the garden and I had just walked past them (Waxwing in the garden on christmas, eve, WOW!!!). They were feeding on some apples I had put out for the thrushes. I grabbed the camera and captured what I could in the dusky light. Unfortunately I had to use the in built flash due to the low light, this didn't phase them at all as they were feeding voraciously. They look like first winter Waxwing as the wing stripes are rather pale. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

More From The Marsh

2010-12-23T10:21:00.002Z

Ironically the one bird I have been trying to nail is the Water Pipit, a difficult species ( for me) to identify. Generally there is an overwintering Water Pipit at Marazion, so when I am there I photograph every Pipit I find, in the hope that I capture one on camera. I have seen them fleetingly but on this occasion this one momentarily landed reasonably close for average photography. Again I missed the Bittern but this image more than compensates for that. The Water Pipit is a Eurpean species and a short distance migrant. Overwintering birds are normally found in the South and South Western regions of England.

Water Pipit

Water Rail

Bitternless Wednesday

2010-12-22T21:22:00.002Z

My sad attempt to photograph the Bittern was a failure but the Snipe were close.

Siberian Chiff Chaff ?

2010-12-19T19:22:00.003Z

I found this Chiff Chaff over a week ago at the sewerage works at Kenidjack, or lets call it a re-find as I think it was found by others a few days before me. The Chiff Chaff in question shows characteristics of the Siberian type species. I have included in the images a poor shot of the subject because the image shows the usual olive green type overwintering Chiff Chaff and the Eastern type bird together. However to be certain of identification of this species the call and plumage must be used in combination.

Carbis Bay Part 2

2010-12-14T00:44:00.001Z

A few more images from Carbis Bay.

Frozen Fingers and Sea Birds

2010-12-12T19:47:00.003Z

Carbis Bay has been full of bait fish, probably Sprats,bringing in numerous species of birds including thousands of Gulls. Seeing Gulls feeding in their natural environment was a spectacular sight. The juvenile 1st winter Kittiwake ( Cornish Sabine Gull) has been a target species for me as I particularly like their plumage. Above all was nailing some average shots of the Balearic Shearwater.

Wasp Spider

2010-12-10T20:33:00.003Z

I photographed this Wasp Spider ( Argiope bruennichi ) on Tenerife, a mediterranean species that has sucessfully spread Northwards. These can be found in Cornwall and are known to exist on The Lizard

Tough Times

2010-12-09T20:36:00.002Z

While everyone was enjoying the snow and cold, Lisa and I have been toughing it out on Sangria and sunshine. I didn't take the DSLR I only the compact camera, however I managed to grab a couple of shots of overwintering Whimbrel and this Little Egret in the Canaries.