Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Images of Woodwalton Fen


A sleepy mallard duck on frost

A whinnying pair of Dabchicks

Footprint on boardwalk. Any ID help would be welcome.

Brown Hare

Drake Pintail

Kingfisher
Sometimes when you have a mission and you fail it can be very disappointing. On Sunday 9.4.06, my mission was to refind a Green-winged Teal at Woodwalton Fen. I only had an hour and a quarter before I had to leave. I failed in my mission, but I had a brilliant time there. The weather was frosty and clear and virtually the first bird I saw was a ringtail Hen Harrier I flushed from the frosty reeds just in front of me by the side of the path near the entrance. It flew off, but amazingly came up from the reeds again as I went round a bend - probably the best views I have ever had of a Hen Harrier.
I soon heard my first Grasshopper Warbler of the spring, adn snatches of my first Sedge Wobbler, too. At the Rothschild Mere hide the Marsh Harriers were very vocal as they went about there rather public nesting business. I managed a single viable shot of a really vocal pair of Little grebes as they toured the pond.
Outside the hide I photographed a Brown Hare, then went across to Gordon's Mere. Still not GWT, but a Kingfisher came and perched quite near the hide in the reeds and a pair of Pintail emerged.
On the way home I stopped for a lump in a field which looked like a Wheatear. It was one, a fdemale, and there were two males in the next furrow. All in all very pleasant action for a quick dash.
Canon Powershot A95, Kowa TSN-823 + 32xWLER

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