Red Kite_ a new garden tick!

Surprised to look out of the kitchen window last week to see 2 Red Kites flying low over the field,I grabbed my bins and camera and was treated to five minutes of them flying over the garden and fields, and even managed a few record shots in my excitement.

Red Kite- A great surprise

West Cornwall

A bit of sunshine last week and a long day out down to West Cornwall for Joyce and I, she made sure she had a good book to read as I had bird photography in mind and she knows a long wait may well be on the cards.Looked in at Marazion hoping for a white winged Gull but no luck, should,ve come down a couple of weeks ago I know, just a few commoner Gulls and waders around.Onto Penzance where the Surf Scoter was showing well from a birding point of view but fairly distant for any decent photographs,but nice to see,also a nice male Eider Duck nearby.Next stop for me was Newlyn harbour where I got some cracking views of a Great Northern Diver and managed some nice shots of it swimming in the coloured water boat reflections, and finally to our favorite place anywhere,Cot Valley, where we were greeted by the sound of eight Choughs flying around the rocks.A good day.

Oystercatcher-Marazion

Carrion Crow-Marazion

Eider at Penzance

Surf Scoter -Penzance

Great Northern Diner-Newlyn

Great Northern Diver-Newlyn

Great Northern Diver-Newlyn

Chough at Cot valley

Buzzard

Buzzard

Buzzard

Buzzard chasing its lunch.

A morning of just a few showers and even some sunshine was just what was needed to get out and see what I could find, I decided on a drive over to Siblyback and set off,only to get about a mile down the road when I noticed this Buzzard in a local horse paddock fairly close to the gateway, I pulled over and took some shots from the car,then pulled into the gateway thinking that it was bound to fly off as Buzzards do, but no, a few more shots and it was taking no notice, I then got out of the car and leant my 500mm lens on the fencepost, and he came closer, totally absorbed in catching worms and making short dashes in pursuit of invertabrates, allowing for some nice shots.I stayed for about forty five minutes before he eventually flew up onto a post. I was quite cold so went home and had a cuppa.Siblyback will have to wait for another day

At last 2014 gets started

The weather has pretty well put paid to any chance of  days out photographing wildlife lately, just finding stuff has not been easy, went to look for the Green Winged Teal at Bude a couple of weeks ago with no luck, and have,nt even seen a Fieldfare yet this year, but today I did refind the two Great Northern Divers at Roadford and spent an hour or so trying to get a decent shot,though a little further away than I would have liked.
And a

Great Northern Diver -Roadford

Great Northern Diver-Roadford

Blue Tit at my garden feeding station

Fungi at Roadford

Shag in Looe harbour

Grey Heron-Bude marshes

few other pics I have managed to get on the days the rain let up.

Sparrowhawk

Male Sparrowhawk

Male Sparrowhawk

This stunning male Sparrowhawk visited our field a few days ago scattering all the small common birds I was photographing at the time.Although I see Sparrowhawks regularly, this is the first time one has posed for me, allowing enough time to get some photos, and the light was great as well, so a nice way to end 2013, who knows what 2014 may throw up.

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