Early start and early return home.

After an early start to Minsmere for first light with my dad, the day was to end in disappointment. I had refrained from joining the melee at Warham Greens for the "RTR", and should of known my luck would be the same with both the Shirke and Bluetail moving on as well. We watched the highlight of the trip, a Short eared owl flew in off the sea(2 Reported) and flew a couple of circuits before downing in the vegetation. Oh shit, maybe something great before I return to work later this month.

A grey Grafham but a lovely white arse later !.

I took Sarah for a walk along the dam end at Grafham Water hoping to get some pipit images. The weather was dull but we were graced with good numbers of Meadow Pipits. Although quite flighty due to squabbling a lot of the time, I was able to grab some nice images. Across from the dam Sarah picked out 2 pure white Pheasants amongst a few almost black ones, they really stood out in the field.

After getting back from Grafham I decided to go to one of my local spots where I had seen a lone Wheatear the day before. On arrival the the lone Wheatear was still present albeit further out in the crop field. It soon moved closer mind you and after a patient wait (something that some prats seem unable to do these days) I was able to work alongside this lovely bird for some time. It seemed content on posing for me and would alter its head position from side to side as if at a fashion shoot....what a marvelous model.

A gem of a new Damselfly.

Couple of images of one of the Willow Emerald Damselflies seen after the Sandhill Crane twitch, another great addition.

MEGA* Sandhill Crane *MEGA. Boyton Marshes,Suffolk. 03 Oct 2011.

A 3:15am start to go and pick up my dad and then head off to Boyton Marshes in Suffolk for first light. On arrival the village hall car park was already getting busy, so with gear ready we headed off to hopefully await the sight of the Sandhill Crane. With plenty of birders scanning the adjacent fields especially the maize field where apparently it had roosted the night before. After a time the shout went up and there flying in from the east, not where we were looking, was the Sandhill Crane still present to everyones delight. It landed in a crop field a few hundred yards away and so viewing was from the scope and not the camera yet.

It continued to actively feed at this distance, always seemingly wary with regular pausing to scan the area. After a while it moved further towards the sea wall and continued feeding there, a few birders started to move along the track leading to the wall and so my dad and I ventured along too. It was then to give closer views and close enough for me to grab some record images of this great rarity, the views through the scope at this time were very good and it continued to show for some time before flying low south out of view. With a few birders still arriving they headed off to relocate it and the happy masses headed back to the cars. A few of us on the way back stopped to look for the Willow Emerald Damselflies, a recently added species to the British Isles. We all got good views of 2 of the WED's and so adding another new tick for the day.

Mini Dragons Up Close.

Whilst at Fowlmere in Cambridgeshire, I came across a large group of Common Lizards basking in the sun. They were quite mobile especially on approach, but I counted 15 on one occasion. Eventually with careful stalking I was able to get a lot closer and they became more reluctant to move away.

They were virtually all young except for two larger adults seen sunning. The colours were a mixture of browns but some had a deeper blue/grey from the back legs down to the tail. The size was no more than a couple of inches and when a Ladybird came into view it really put their size into perspective.

With careful movements and patience I was able to get just inches away whilst they dozed on and off, before moving to shade, only to return minutes later and resume basking. These will continue through to the end of autumn sunning themselves before getting ready to hibernate till the spring.

I had never had the chance to see Common Lizards so well before let alone photograph them, I had seen the odd sighting of lizards at Sandy before but never so intimate as this, I was chuffed to say the least.

Look how small they are against a Ladybird.

Stewartby Lake. Friday 23rd September 2011.

I had been planning on going for the AZOREAN-TYPE YELLOW-LEGGED GULL  at the Stewartby gull roost, but news in the afternoon of it in fields adjacent to the new by-pass had me venturing out earlier. I spent the next few hours alongside Robin Edwards trying to find it. After some time looking for where to park up a small group of gulls were located, which later joined a larger flock nearby. RE and I picked out a dark hooded gull, which unlike any other LBBG was indeed just one of these. We moved onto the roost site and there alongside 14 other birders, along with the finder Steve Blain, we duly started scanning. As the light began to disappear fast and the seemingly last flock of large gulls flew in, one of the birders called up the gull, and with all eyes fixing on it Steve shouted up next to me 'that was it', a particularly large individual with a very distinctive hood, with good views and through Steve's scope too, thanks for that, I left with the last glimmer of light left.

Grey Day at Grafham water. September 2011.

It has been so long since I was able to get out and do some bird photography, but I finally got the chance and headed off to Grafham water. There were 2 Grey Phalarope and a Sabine's Gull, both of which I needed some images of. I headed off early and immediately stumbled, for a few years whenever visiting here I arrived for 7am as the car parks opened, but now (except for the main car park miles away) a new sign greeted me with the opening time of 9am.

Bloody great I thought, what plonker changed this, this sort of organising does not help the photographer or birdwatcher wanting to get there before the bird or birds may depart, its the same with some reserves not allowing access until its too late, I shake my head in disbelief at the dumb stupidity of some people/places. Anyhow not to be put off I noticed a car pulled up on a verge totally off the road and with space for me to slot in behind, and being close to the dam end it was not long before I was viewing the first Grey Phalarope.

The weather was good and the water was nice and calm, lovely birds, the phalaropes, and so small too. Then as that bird flew further out the Sabine's was not far along the waters edge. Busily feeding along the waterline it was not perturbed in the slightest, walking under the fishermens rods as they stood on the waters edge, unbelievable. And so for the next couple of hours I happily snapped away at both gull and phalaropes getting some more than welcome images. It was a good feeling to be out again and luckily for me the birds had remained, the previous days reports also added "only view from the path and not the waters edge", theres always some prat that risks the chance of ruining it for others and sadly theres more of them turning up these days, but luckily for them not this day.