Bearded Tit

I was watching a Sedge Warbler recently along the boardwalk at Cley, when I heard the unmistakable call of a Bearded Tit. It didn't take long for me to locate it and I quickly got my camera onto it. It's never easy to focus on a small camouflaged bird in the reeds, but this is what I managed. I was just glad to see it really. More often than not I will only hear them in the reeds, so to see a nice male like this was a real bonus.

Pesky reeds! 

Farne Island Puffins

A long overdue post from me on my Farne Island trip. I was holding back some Puffin shots until I'd looked at them all, but I still haven't found the time, so I could wait no more. Here are just a few from my visit back in June.

Such a charismatic bird, full of charm and wonder. I could watch them all day, and I did pretty much.
I won't say too much more, but let the pictures do the talking for me. (Definitely more pictures in the near future of these wonderful birds)

Cuckoo

I was sitting in a hide at Druridge Pools in Northumberland scanning forlornly for a Glossy Ibis when out of the blue, flying low from left to right of the hide went a Cuckoo. The shock of it made me say the name out loud whilst pointing towards it. It landed on a fence post just yards from the hide. I managed one decent shot of it, but I was more than happy with the result. A bird that I heat most years but don't always get to see. This was by far my closest and best view of it. 

They are already back across the Sahara dessert for their summer holidays. Hopefully I will get to see one again next Spring. 

The Glossy Ibis had relocated and not yet been found. I hung around in the hide for a bit just seeing what I could see, when I spotted a Snipe well hunkered down. So tricky to spot from a distance, near on impossible without binoculars.