the little grebe, finally

a good view at last
(taken 27.12.07)

Birds, big and small

A robin pretending to be a hummingbird. It was doing this an awful lot, just hovering in one spot for a few seconds at a time.

And again.

This heron flew right over me on the main bridge, making a hideous squawking!

the elusive grebe

still can't get an image of this fellow that I am happy with,
in his absence, here's a few others to fill the space



looking straight at you, the irresistable blue tit.

hard to see clearly, a siskin, probing for those last few seeds.

there is no getting away from it, mallards are beautiful.
they seem to be mating already, is it springtime?

December Begins

A long tailed tit in the branches of the tree in the pond in the middle of the reserve. Actually there were loads of them. Apparently they like to exist in flocks of 20 or so. They hardly ever sat still for a moment though, continually running up the branches, presumably looking for bugs

A common sighting on the reserve, but not so often photographed. Jack and Howard (and Sheila, off camera) dealing with the remains of one of the trees fallen in the water. Just the branches have been removed, leaving the trunk and some lower bits as it seems to provide a nice habitat.

A nice early winter view through the willow to the sky.

elusive visitors

there has been a solitary little grebe on site for a week or so,
fishing voraciously -this has been perhaps the best shot so far,
just as darkness loomed over The Mere. (taken 29.11.07)

two collared doves on the feeder today, quite an odd effect as the front and back of the birds are presented simultaneously.

at last a snap of this elusive fellow, a male kingfisher
-quite close to the main bridge, just as the light was failing before a huge rainstorm.