Sibly-back again

Female Goldeneye

Female Goldeneye

Great Northern Diver.

Great Northern Diver

The 18th December looked like it was going to be the only decent day weather wise this side of christmas, so headed back to Siblyback to look for the reported female Ring Necked Duck and try for some better photos of the Great Northern Diver. I failed to find the Duck but the Diver showed very well & a female Goldeneye was diving right in front of the hide,allowing me to get a few nice shots. Male Goldeneye is high on my wish list to photograph so perhaps in the new year I'll be able to get close to one here.

Great Northern Diver

This Great Northern Diver was photographed at Siblyback reservoir in E. Cornwall last week ,showing very well at times, but a shame the light was so poor.

Autumn Grebes

I was trying to decide on going for the Bonaparts Gull at Dawlish or the Long Tailed Duck at Hayle,but as it was a nice day with sunny spells and little wind I decided  to go for some autumnal colour and thought Stover Country Park near Bovey Tracy  may produce some nice Grebe shots on some colourful water reflections. A little patience was needed to wait for the Grebes to swim into the right area at the same time as the sun came out. A good day and pleased with the photos. (And the Gull and the Duck may hang around for another week). A few more photos on my main website.

Autumn Thrushes

Female Blackbird

Male Blackbird

Fieldfare

Redwing

In the last couple of weeks I've set the camera up on the bedroom windowsill to photograph the Thrushes eating the Hawthorn berries on the hedge outside, with Blackbirds always on view and good numbers of Redwings & Fieldfares coming  through... it keeps me happy .

A Day at Walmsley

Wigeon

Male Wigeon

Female Wigeon

Female Wigeon

Male Wigeon

Wigeon Flyover

Female Shoveller

Male Shoveller

Cormorant

Curlews

Grey Wagtail in the rain

Kestrel & Jackdaws

Little Grebe

A day long visit to the Cornwall Bird Watching & Preservation Societys reserve at Walmsley at Wadebridge. Sometimes its nice to just sit somewhere quietly for the day and see what comes along, so I ensconced myself into the tower hide at Walmsley with my camera ,bins, coffee & sarnies and just enjoyed the comings and goings of the resident birds, nothing unusual but the light was pretty good and some of the commoner Wildfowl and other species came close enough for me to get some niceish shots.

Trevose

Young Goldfinches feeding on thistles

This young Peregrine gave itself away by constantly calling

Juvinile Shag in a rough sea

Juvinile Shag with catch

A very confiding Turnstone allowed a very close approach

Turnstone

Turnstone

Bales at Trevose

A few recentish photos of a visit to Trevose Head on the North Cornwall Coast, a beautiful place & always something to find.

More Sandpipers

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

Buff Breasted & Curlew Sandpipers scrapping over a worm

Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper

Wheatear

Another day over at Davidstow airfield at the weekend to see what I could find & try to get some better shots of 'my' Buff Breasted Sandpiper and hopefully Curlew Sandpiper, even though I arrived fairly early there were already photographers onto the Buff Breast,so decided to drive around to see if I could find anything else, the usual Dunlin & Ringed Plover ( which I now check out a bit more after last years Semi Palmated Plover saga-I did,nt see it) and lots of Pipits & Pied  Wagtails., one or two White Wagtails and a couple of lingering Wheatear-the usual fare. Later on I eventually got the Buff Breasted Sandpiper & two Curlew Sandpipers together all to myself in reasonable light showing down to just a few feet-too close at times and managed some nice shots.

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

I was chuffed to find this stunning juvinile Buff Breasted Sandpiper  on Davidstow airfield this afternoon ( 21st Sept) a rare vagrant fron arctic North America, but an annual visitor to Britain with one or two usually turning up here at what is probably one of the most reliable sites for this species  in the country.(I just made that up but its probably true) I was able to get a few half decent photos of  a fairly approachable bird..

Davidstow

Juvinile Ringed Plover portrait

Ringed Plover with Cranefly

Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Linnet reflection

Pied Wagtail & reflection

After work on late afternoons & early evenings when I can I,ve been taking my usual trips over to Davidstow airfield hoping to find a rare wader or two,( no luck as yet and someone else will probably find a goodie before me anyway ,but who knows I may stumble across a mega like a Killdeer or Sharp Tailed Sandpiper or even a first for Britain like a Willet ,I can dream cant I) but I,m happy enough for now photographing the Ringed Plover & Dunlin which are present in small numbers & anything else I come across.