Black-tailed Godwit

Waders are some of my favourite birds to watch and especially to photograph. We came across many in Norfolk, and some came close enough to give some decent shots. Some didn't, and so we had to improvise. We used the car as a hide on this occasion. We stayed in the car and just waited (patiently) until they got in a good position with the right light.
This Black-tailed Godwit gave really decent views. The late afternoon wintry sunlight gave it a really good look.

Best of the rest from Sculthorpe - Norfolk

There were plenty of other birds that visited the feeders while we were there. Most of the finches, including Bullfinch, Chaffinch and Greenfinch. Plus most of the Tit family. Some shots of a few below for you.

Male Bullfinch. Always a delight to see.

Chaffinch 

Long Tailed Tit

Usually in small flocks of half a dozen or so, there are 8 here.

Marsh Tit - Norfolk

From the hide at Sculthorpe we had plenty of other birds besides Brambling. One of those was a lifer for me. The Marsh Tit. Very similar to a Willow Tit, to the point that I really can't tell them apart. Thanks to the expertise of my birding friends, this was definitely a Marsh Tit. With it's shiny head, it's a lovely little bird.

In amongst the many Long Tailed Tits

Brambling - Norfolk

In the woods at Sculthorpe Moor, we came across an extraordinarily large flock of Brambling. In total I would hazard a guess at there being close to 200. Quite a flighty bird. They were constantly coming into feed and then all at once would disperse into the trees. Not without good reason though. Sparrowhawks were doing their flybys, trying to take anything they could. None were successful while we were there. The Bramblings kept coming back to feed though.
A fantastically colourful bird, and one I don't tire of seeing in the winter months.

The hide with all the action.

 

 

Lovely markings seen on the backs.

Vast numbers could be seen feeding on the ground.

 

Back with a Bang. Norfolk

Having not done much birding of late, it was nice to go to Norfolk for a few days to really crack on with the year list. I wasn't left disappointed, with over 100 species seen in that time, and quite a number that I had never seen before.
The weather was pretty raw, with snow on the ground for the first day or two, followed by a real gusty wind after that. Still, it made it all the more interesting for me, and meant I got some decent shots.
Over the next few weeks I intend to share these with you. Just for starters though, here are a few taken on the first day when the snow was still down and the temperature was below freezing.

The lovely scene that met us on our arrival

It was nice to see some winter Thrushes, like this Fieldfare.

Winter Treats

Having not been out recently, I have looked back at some shots I took around the same period last year. I came across some Brambling and Siskins up at Dovestone Reservoir. Feeders are put out and topped up all year by the RSPB, so you are usually guaranteed to see something around them.
The good thing about the winter conditions is that the birds will quite often come to you if you are patient enough.

Brambling

Siskin

Brambling and Siskin

Robin

Dunnock

Merry Christmas

To all of my very loyal followers and anyone that has looked in on my blog over the last year, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful time.

I aim to be more active again soon. So please keep checking back for updates, and apologies for the lack of posts just recently. I will put this right very soon.

Adam

The search continues.........

Another mixed bag from me this week. The search for Waxwings goes on. Numerous miles travelled but still no joy. I will find them one day and hopefully in good light. Still, I did find some Whooper Swans. These are shown here at the top, disappearing into the distance.

Whooper Swans

Here's a Meadow Pipit having a good scratch on this fence post.

The light wasn't great, but compared to most of the weekend this was not too bad.

This Grey Heron was on the active lookout for some fish.

In the land of Macc

I've had little success with the camera of late, so I have once again delved into the archives for some shots taken this summer in the Macclesfield area. This area has rapidly become my birding area of choice. So many habitats for so many different species. It's always a pleasure to wander around here.
Here are some of the birds I had the pleasure of seeing in the last few months.

Little Owl

Stonechat (female)

Northern Wheatear

Common Redstart. Possibly now my favourite bird, having watched them so closely this year.

Attenborough Nature Reserve

I've not had much time to get this week, so I have delved into the archives again for this post.
I visited Attenborough Nature Reserve in Nottingham last summer. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful place. Plenty of bird life and all very varied too. Lots of Common Tern, Little Egrets, Herons, Hobby, plus many different varieties of warblers. All in all, it's somewhere I'd love to go back to. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Early morning sunrise.

Linnet

Egyptian Goose

Common Tern