Spain Crossbills

26th September 2017.

Crossbills photographed on the recent Spanish trip, not a common species at all down here in Cornwall/Devon ,I see them once in a while, but where we were in Spain one of the first to arrive at the pools, usually hearing them before they come down to drink and mostly in small groups. There crossed tipped mandibles are an adaptation for extracting the seeds from conifer cones. Super birds and great to watch and photograph them at close quarters.

Adult male Crossbill

Adult male Crossbill drinking

Adult male Crossbill at drinking pool

Male Crossbill drinking

Female Crossbill

Crossbill Bathing

Female Crossbill drinking

Juvenile Crossbill

Golden Eagles in Spain

24th September 2017.

A great week with five friends from Cornwall in the Spanish countryside, based in the old town of Bocairent,( not to far from Alicante) for the annual congress of the International Federation of Wildlife Photography.
The highlight of the trip had to be close views of Golden Eagles, seeing them in their natural habitat  like this is  a dream come true for me, and very exciting watching two adults and a juvenile. The juvenile stayed in front of me for fifty minutes  devouring a Rabbit before the female came in and finished off the leftovers (fur and all). Lots of frame filling photos ( a bit too close for my 500mm lens at times), but hey just to watch these magnificent birds would have been enough.

I used my 150mm macro lens for these last two to try and get a little of the environment included

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

17th September 2017.

Buff Breasted Sandpiper must rank as  be one of my favourite birds, and Davidstow airfield in Cornwall is probably one of the most reliable sites in the country to catch up with one during September. Three birds have been present this autumn and I managed a few nice photos of one on a sunny evening

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

Buff Breasted Sandpiper