Slimbridge

A few images from last weeks day at Slimbridge WWT

Bewicks Swan

Bewicks Swan

Bewicks Swan

Common Crane.Probably one of the re-introduction scheme birds.

Grey Heron

Pintail

Pochard

Shelduck

Shelduck coming into land

Phalarope revisited

Went for the Hermit Thrush on Friday and what a frustrating day it turned out to be. I arrived at Porthgwarra just before nine to be told the Thrush had been showing well at eight fifteen, so at least I knew it was still around, so decided to give it a couple of hours. Around eleven o'clock someone glimpsed it in the garden across the road, but it dissapeared before I got there, but apparantly each day of its stay it had been seen in the same place between one and two o'clock , so I might as well stay to try and at least see it if not get a photo, but still no joy, now it was starting to rain and the light fading, so I may as well stay now that I 've been here this long. But it was'nt to be and I;d spent all day staring at the same clump of trees.Monday saw the weather brighten up so took the chance to photograph the Grey Phalarope again, which was still showing really nicely (down to few feet) just up the road at Roadford.Super little bird.

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

With all eyes on the Porthgwarra Hermit Thrush (which I hope will stay around untill Friday when I hope to be able to get down there)I have to be content with this Grey Phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius 

Grey Phalarope

which has turned up on my doorstep at Roadford resevoir, fairly unusual to see one of these seagoing waders inland, although I did photograph one at Davidstow a few years ago. This individual is pretty worn on the wings and may not be able to go too far for a while, but seemed pretty happy feeding and preening along the waters edge.

Rose Coloured Starling.

This juvinile Rose Coloured Starling (Sturnus roseus) was photographed on wires in the car park of Morrisons supermarket at Longrock,Penzance,Cornwall.I found it straight away ,standing out among the Common Starlings it was with. One or two Rose Coloured Starlings, especially juviniles, are seen pretty well annually in Cornwall.

Juvinile Rose Coloured Starling

Juvinile Rose Coloured Starling

Juvinile Rosr Coloured Starling with Starlings

Juvinile Rose Coloured Starling with Starlings

Bit of a shame its just a bird on a wire photographed in a white featureless sky, but sometimes thats just the way it is.

Red Necked Grebe

This juvinile Red Necked Grebe was photographed on Lower Tamar Lake on the Cornwall/Devon border, I've never known if Tamar Lakes were in Cornwall or Devon, both birding counties societies seem to claim it,bit of a no mans land(or water) I daresay .Anyway the Red Necked Grebe eventually gave itself up after I 'd waited for a couple of hours for it to come out of cover and work its way up the edge of the water, but only showing well in an area were it could be photographed for a few minutes, but a nice bird and the first juvinile I've seen.

Juvinile Red Necked Grebe

Juvinile Red Necked Grebe

Juvinile Red Necked Grebe

Back to Birds and some nice surprises.

Another afternoon at Davidstow airfield to see what might turn up in the recent unsettled weather, last week a White Rumped Sandpiper put in an appearance( I did manage to see it and get a record shot)& a Buff Breasted Sandpiper was seen at the weekend..Today , almost the first bird I saw was a Dotterel- a nice surprise and it proved to be quite approachable as Dotterels usually are, great views were had and lots of photos, I then found two Little Stints which were very busy feeding around the small pools on the edge of the main runway, while trying to get a photo of one of these I turned around to see a female Merlin sitting on a pile of Horse poo just a few feet away from the car,only on the wrong side of the car ,opening the other window would surely put her up ,but no she stayed for a minute or so,

Dotterel

Dotterel

Dotterel

Little Stint

Female Merlin

Female Merlin

allowing some close up photography & me getting my best ever view of this lovely little Falcon,not the most attractive of perches but I suppose its about as natural as you can get!Anyway if it was'nt for th Ponies & Sheep eating the grass and leaving thier deposits it would'nt attract the insects which would'nt attract the waders which would'.nt have attracted the Merlin,so full circle.I later refound the Merlin sitting on a differant pile of Horses..t, this time on the right side.Brilliant.Thats enough of me wittering on...

The last of this years Butterflies (probably)

Probably a last look at some of the local Butterflies which have had such a good summer, especially after last years washout.Then hopefully its back to scarce birds and who knows what will turn up this autumn.

Common Blue .A few of these around in the field in recent weeks

Common Blue-maybe common but very beautiful.

Clouded Yellow. Nice to see a couple of these migrants in the small meadow.

Peacock resting on an old log

Small Copper.A good year for these in our field

Small Copper.

Hawker Dragonfly

This Hawker Dragonfly ( Common I think, but could be a Southern ) was a visitor to my pond recently , I watched as it layed its eggs in an old stump and on the bank.and got in close with the macro lens.

An afternoon at Davidstow

Managed to escape for a couple of hours and headed for Davidstow airfield in the hope of an early wader or two.A few Ringed Plover and Dunlin were soon located but little else untill I found a single Golden Plover which I was slowly getting closer to when a man and his dog walked straight between me and the bird ,making it fly further away, again I took my time and got within photographic range and reeled off a few shots when the same man and dog came back and did it again, all that space,(good job it was'nt something rare)he then came over and told me he was a retired spy and used to use gear like mine on covert operations.I thought not much of a spy if he could,nt see the ....ing bird I was trying to photograph.
Ah,the joys of another autumn on the airfield to look forward too.

Golden Plover-Davidstow

Linnet-Davidstow.

Pied Wagtail-Davidstow.

Linnet-Davidstow

House Martins

Spent a few evenings trying to get some action shots of our resident House Martins feeding thier young, not easy, the're quick.

Lunch break Butterflies

Painted Lady

Painted Lady

Peacock

Red Admiral

Small White

The garden of the house which I was painting last week in Launceston happened to have some colourful Buddlia bushes in full flower which were dripping with Butterflies, I counted nine species during the week, so I just had to take the camera & spend my lunchbreaks trying to get some photos....I did get the job finished eventually.

More insects ( & a spider )

Three more  photos of some of the smaller critters I,ve come across recently.

Field Grasshopper..I went out looking (rather optimistically) for Nightjars in the afternoon and just came home with a photo of this Grasshopper, still I like Grasshoppers.

Crab Spider .The Spider had ambushed this White Butterfly, I went back an hour later and just the wings and head of the Butterfly remained on the ground.

Emerald Damselfly. Taken at Roadford, and had one or two around our pond since.