they're back

04.02.09
it's the reed buntings, who were first spotted last year, 23.03.08
-today I saw two, but photographed one.
They may have been here all year long,
-but if they were, I didn't see them . . .

04.02.09
there was a "fly over", of perhaps 10 redwing.
Elusive, noisy, shy and fast, they remain a difficult bird to "capture".
This one was 100 yards along the railway track from the Mere, after the fly over,
-so it's one for this site as far as I'm concerned.

27.01.09
always worth including, the ever obliging blue tit

27.01.09
the lovely, elusive, ever-on-the-move, long tailed tit

27.01.09
two shots of what currently, seems to be our resident song thrush,
-on this misty morning, pointed out to me by Jack.

17.12.08
a young mute swan

07.12.08
mallard may be common, but they always look full of character,
-this female looks a bit threatening.

07.12.08

mallard, included here purely because I quite like the pic;
-they had their eye on me and soon made off.

07.12.08
little grebe, snapped way after the pair had been spotted.
Looking eerily atmospheric in the mist.

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.