Feeling A Bit Ruff...

Well it was the morning after the night before and my head felt like there was still a party going on up there but I was determined to get out, so I went for the easy option and headed over to Martin Mere With a large bottle of water and a few paracetamol; on arrival things seemed quite, a few hundred shelducks skating around the frozen lakes and the usual couple thousand whoopers waddling around on the ice, there was a very nice turn out as far as the geese were concerned thousands of pinkfeet, at least half a dozen barnacle and a single Red Breasted Goose, which is a very easy tick as far as most birders are concerned but it made me happy; during the day, not many photo opportunities arose but as I was waiting for the swans to be fed, a group of three ruff decided make a good appearance but only two stayed around long enough to be photographed unfortunately the light was quite poor so I had to shoot on a higher ISO than I would of liked to but still I hope that you like them...

One of the thing that I love most about Ruff and the reason that they are one of my favourite waders is that no matter how many you see, you will never two with the same marking, this is why I separated these two out with this sentence, even though they are subtle differences they make all the difference especially when it comes to summer, they can vary from almost entirely black to pure white, a truly amazing bird...

After this very pleasant sighting, I stuck around to see the swans get fed to take a few snaps, by this time the light was awful for photographs but I hope that you like them...

Well that you for viewing my blog, please feel free to leave any comments,

thanks always Lee Harrison.

Snowy Bit and Bobs...

Well here's a random selection of a photographs that I have accumilted over the past couple of weeks during the snowy conditions, mostly landscapes but there might be a few birdies dropped in just for good measure, I hope that you like them...

"Couple of birds, just for good measure"

Well it's only a short blog this time, but I hope that you like them,

Thanks Always Lee Harrison.

Dancing On Ice 2010... HAPPY NEW YEAR...

HAPPY NEW YEAR

and all the best

for 2010...

Well the hype of Christmas had started to settle down so on boxing day we decided to have a walk around a local lodge to see what was around, when we arrived, we noticed that most of the lake was frozen over providing a some unique photo opportunities with all the water foul suppressed into a tiny area and ice skating swans, a first for me and by the looks of it a first for them... I thought that this was an amusing series of photographs, the swan... such a graceful bird when you see them soring across the open skies, coasting through choppy waters but but them up against a bit of ice and all that goes out of the window, slipping and sliding, necks and feathers everywhere a very funny sight...

With the covering of ice, it forced some of the wintering wild foul closer to the edges so I took this opportunity to take a few snaps; I hope that you like them:-

I added, these last three pictures into this blog due to the reflections and the ripple effects on the surface of the waters, it just shows what a change in height can do, these was taken as low to the water as I could get.

On occasions, this lodge can provide opportunities to photograph Kingfishers at close range if you know where to look although they seem to always choose the shaded areas, I don't know whether this is just coincidence or if it reduces visibility from below but it makes it a lot harder for a photographer, anyway I hope that you like them, along with the snow, I like to think it made quite a special picture...

Well thank you for reading this blog, I hope that enjoyed it, once again I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the reader a very happy a nature filled 2010,

Thanks always Lee Harrison...

Happy Christmas....

Well first of all I would like to say a massive happy Christmas to all the views of this blog and I truly hope that you have had a wonderful time but it's not over yet, with the new year approaching a frightening speed many good times, feasts and beverages are yet to be had.

I have managed to get out a few times over the Christmas period, what with all the university work handed in and work finished for a short while I made a break for but unfortunately with all the other activities that happen at this time of year I've not had chance to update so there should be three blogs posed in quick succession if all goes well.

he first place that I ventured to was the remote wilderness of the Mere... Martin Mere that is, I want feeling to adventurous; generally it was quite quiet with the usually few million Pinkies, masses of Pintale and a few hundred Whoopers with all the other bits and bobs that you'd expect but this gave me a chance to settle down and take a few shots, I hope that you like them:-

"I thought this was a very interesting photograph, it shows the comparison between the old and the new bird, the older bird to the left will have been on the lake for at least a week and is very clean, although the newer bird to the right still has the peat stained plumage from the lakes of there summering grounds, (after a shot time this will get washed off in our clearer water but this is a good way to tell when they came in)"

"A few close up shots"

"I know that there not all Whoopers but I thought that a couple of flight shots wouldn't go a-miss "


"last but not lease this sunset, I sat watching the swans until the sun was no more, something I love to do, I feel that the true beauty of nature come out in the evening, the light sepia tones reflecting off there feathers, long shadows reaching across the landscape and the shy personalities showing more than ever "

I hope that you liked this blog,

thanks always Lee Harrison.

A Shore Thing.... or Not....

Well I had a day out last Friday, in hope of seeing the Shore lark that had been reported the day before, this was the fourth time that I had been out to try and see this bird, "I must see it this time, I can't be that unlucky" I thought but no, I set the alarm for some ungodly winter hour called 6 o'clock, it was pitch black but this meant that I was treated to a very special sunrise, which I took the opportunity to photograph;



On arrival, there was one other birder there looking for the Shorelark but he'd had no luck. Within 10 minuets of I came across a flock of 30+ Twite feeding between the pools on the car park, it didn't quite make up for no shore lark but it was a nice treat,




a little further along the path, I came across the same flock of Twite but this time having a bath, so I thought I'd do a bit of an experimental piece, hope you like it...

appart from these there was very little about, no sign or reports of the Lapland bunting that had apparently been seen the day before and know one had seen the Snow Buntings that were in the area but not to be put off I tried to photograph some of the easier species around the sand lakes,

Well I hope that you like the blog, something a little different,

Thanks always lee Harrison.