Annual trip to Slimbridge.

Late 2025 saw me take my annual visit to Slimbridge, Joyce goes shopping with her sister who lives nearby and I have a day wandering around the WWT reserve. This year the weather was not too bad with sunny periods, no rare or scarce birds around but great views of the usual wildlife and waders etc. Got some nice photos of PIntail,Shelduck. Mallard,Tufted Ducks etc.

Lesser Crested Tern

12th December 2025. 2025 ended with a new bird for me, with a rare Lesser Crested Tern on the Exe estuary in Devon. Found a few days before, it had been showing at different viewpoints around the area untill it settled at Turf, where it was being a little more reliable as it rested on the bouys and occasionally made some flybys, A lovely sunny day , although I did ( rather foolishly) have to negotiate some fair old floods on the road in . The Tern was present ,sat on a bouy preening not too far out. I stuck around and was thrilled when it took to the air and flew close by, allowing for some great views and some nice photos. Cracking bird.

A pair of Lesser Scaup

10th November 2025. Lesser Scaup is pretty much an annual visitor down here in Cornwall and Devon these days, I,ve seen a few and got some record shots , but when this pair turned up on the boating lake at Helston in Cornwall, I had to eventually give in and go and go to take a look. Its a very easy site to visit, ( even free parking) with a number of water birds always presant and at quite close quarters. The weather was changable to say the least with brillint sunshine one minute followed by heavy downpours, but the Scaups were showing really well and lots of nice photos were to be had.

Young Swallow

A young Swallow balances on a blue rope of a tied up boat at Turf Locks on the Exe estuary in Devon.Soon be headed back to Africa.

Crows

Carrion Crows, bit of a marmite bird I suppose, but whatever you think of them , you have to admire their character, adaptability and oportunism. A regilar visitor to my feeding stations and pond , I,ve photographed a few in recent weeks, one youngster, one having just taken a bath and another which was eating a dead Red Legged Partridge. ( which I found near my hide and just moved it a few yards in front to see what might come along.) The local shooters and farmers moan about the number of Crows and Magpies etc then provide them with ready available Pheasants and Red Lagged Partridges, many of which are left and many which are roadkill.!