Brief Norfolk Moments

North Norfolk is a bird watchers paradise, especially during migration time as the bulge of land jutting out into the North Sea intercepts birds heading south down the east side of the country. As a result many scarce and rare birds can often be found there in Autumn. Before heading off on my holiday I decided to set my mobile for scarce and rare text alerts in Norfolk. That was a mistake as it was going off every half hour during my week stay, I couldn't turn it off as I had no access to a computer and it was made even more frustrating as I had no time to pursue them. This was a holiday and not a photography trip so my time with the camera was very limited, however I still managed a couple of photos whilst there :)

I found a curlew creeping along a tidal channel at Brancaster.

Its a muddy business poking around in estuary silt searching for crabs to eat and the bird frequently dropped back to the waters edge to wash it bill.

I popped out early one morning to Salthouses and found a couple of birds to photograph. This Egyptian goose was part of a group grazing close to the coastal road. This is a species that is restricted mainly to the south and east and so not a bird that can be found back at home.

I also came across this drake Gadwall in a reed lined area which provided an interesting back drop.

Final bird of the trip was a lonely Dunlin that I found in a channel whilst searching the shallow beach pools at Salthouses for waders.

Unfortunately just as I got into a nice low angle the sun disappeared. However, this does show nicely the difference some good light can make to the appearance of a bird.

Capital Birds - Waterfowl

This will be the last bird post from the recent trip down to London, as the next will actually deal with the main purpose of the visit, some deer. As usual my lens ended up getting pointed at some waterfowl. In fact the Egyptian Geese were so friendly I decided to have a bit of fun with a wider angle and dusted of the 70-200mm lens and used it at 70mm. This is a bird which at present seems restricted mainly to the south and east of the country and I certainly have never seen one in my local area.

Incoming goose....

and some 'wide' shots

A coot speeding across the surface caught my eye However, what was real attracting my attention was a small group of Gadwall that were resting through most of the day but came alive as the afternoon sun start to sink. We do not get many Gadwall in the north-west where I live, so I always make the effort to try and photograph some while I am down south. From a distance they are quite a plain looking duck. It is only when you get close that there true beauty is revealed with the intricate patterns on the drake's feathers. They looked even better than usual in some late afternoon autumn sun which produced some great reflective autumn colours on the water off the bankside trees.

Not forgetting the female of course which look very similar to a female mallard.To finish off, one photo of a drake floating on some golden autumn water in the last of the afternoon sun, a perfect way to end a day.

Return to the Wetland Centre

I was recently back down in London and ahd some free time to pay a brief return visit to the London Wetland Centre. When I arrived it was quiet on the wild bird side of things so I decided to spend a bit of time with some of the captive waterfowl collection.

Long-tailed duck

Goldeneye
Smew

and a couple of the captive birds bathing.

Having had my fill of the captive birds I decided to move on to try and find some wild birds.

Feeding coot Tufted duck

Gadwall ShovelerLittle grebe in breeding plumage

Taking another dive To finish off I decided to have another go at the Ring-necked parakeets
As I was leaving I got up really close to a parakeet on a feeder.

and so decided to take the opportunity to take a close-up head shot.

London Wetland Centre

Last weekend I was down in the south of the country and decided to go and check out the London Wetland Centre that has been developed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. The reserve is a good model of the type of habitat creation that can be achieved in urban areas and has become an important area for a diverse range of wildlife. This was my first visit to the site which I enjoyed and certainly will be returning again if I am in that area. The reserve is split in to two areas with a captive collection of waterfowl and 'the wild side'. I concentrated my efforts on the wild areas and some of its birds.

A coot chewing through some water plant

Male shoveler in a quiet backwater. These quiet backwater channels offer good photographic opportunities as you are close to the birds, the waters are still creating good reflections of the birds and also the colouring of the bankside vegetation.
and out in some open water. I have never noticed before how the head plumage can turn from green to purple depending on the light direction. Photographically they are quite a difficult bird to expose in bright sunlight due to the brightness of the breast feathers.

A first for me the Gadwall. This is the first occasion I have managed to get near these birds and a found a few in front of the hide down in the SE corner of the site.

Female gadwall

and the drake with its very intricate feather patterning which is only properly revealed on close inspection.

The bankside vegetation in some areas of the lakes where there are extensive reedbeds creates some good colour reflections.

Great crested grebeand Tufted Duck

To finish off a particular treat for the day was a feeding station area that was attracting numbers of wild Ring-necked parakeets. These birds are rapidly growing in numbers in the west end of London and are now a common bird in parklands and gardens but this was my first opportunity to get some before the lens. Unfortunately by the time I had found them the sun was disappering as their colours must really glow in good light. They are quite a difficult bird to frame in the shot due to that very long tail.