20260305 Peregrine & Marsh Harrier, Cley Marshes

 

20260305 Barn Owl
Hunting Blakeney Freshes early morn.

20260305 Reed Bunting 
In full spring song.
Back and side light with mellow background.

20260305 Peregrine
Spooked  all off North Scrape then all other scrapes, just for fun.
Mobbed by the crazy Avocets.

20260305 Peregrine
1st winter bird which did not press home any attack.
Seemed to peer about at Dunlin hiding in Avocet mallee.

20260305 Peregrine
Buzzing Pats pool but without intent.
Appeared as a large Falcon, but not well fed.

20260503 Marsh Harrier
Male with birthday gifts for females.

20250305 Peregrine
Backing as if to strike at Dunlin, centre of image...
but levelled out and glided away.
Massed Avocet mobbing could have been effective here.
A Buzzard has been seen to knock down overly keen Avocet in recent years.

20260305 Reed Bunting
As above, but from less of a light angle...
Birds body and head side on, but less of a 3D effect....

20260302 Marsh Harrier
Cley alpha male now has a damaged left leg.

20260227 Eastern Black Redstart, Sheringham

20260227 Great Black-backed Gull
4th winter shoving 3rd winter Herring Gull off new groyne.
Flight mode upped to 1/2500th sec.

20260227 Eastern Black Redstart
Esplanade Gardens territory.

20260227 E Black Red
Now in full song. A rather sharp and scratchy warble.

20260227 E Black Redstart
Singing and dancing in the rain.

20260220 Ferruginous Duck & Common Pochard, Holkham Lake

20260220 C Buzzard
By Village CP in twilight.
F6.3 1/80th sec, ISO25600...

20260220 Barnacle Goose
Feral flock of 900+. Additional flocks flew in throughout the morn...
With plenty of indigenous geese species why has this happened??

20260220 Ferruginous Duck
Adult male, far side of Lake.
Note clean white belly patch.

20260220 Ferruginous Duck
Often showing interest in 2 female Pochard.

20260220 Ferruginous Duck

 

20260221 Pink-footed Goose
2000+ Brant Hill, Holkham.

20260221 Ferruginous Duck
Brighter conditions today.

20260221 Ferruginous Duck
Having read about the white chin spot not often seen in the field...
The fleshy white spot at the base of the bill. Male Baer's Pochard and Ringed-neck Duck also
sport a spot.

20260221 Common Pochard
Large Pochard attraction this winter, 200+ birds on the Lake.

20260221 Ferruginous Duck
White under-tail coverts and vent diagnostic.

20260221 Ferruginous Duck
1680mm, F11, 1/1600th, ISO4000.
Less bulky than the solid Pochard.

20210224 Northern Goshawk
Past photo of the week, male Goshawk over Hempstead.
Now is the time...

20260216 Hume's Leaf Warbler & Purple Sandpiper, North Denes Lowestoft

20260216 Hume's Leaf Warbler
Shot taken at 10m plus...
Initially the bird popped up within 5m requiring full range reset on Big Black... but too late.
Bird grey overall when in shade, not so in sunlight.
Note faint median covert bar cf Yellow-browed high contrast wing.

20260216 Hume's Leaf Warbler
The bird continually flitted as with most Yellow-browed's.
Called infrequently but was loud, sharp and disyllabic when within range.

 

20260216 Hume's Leaf Warbler
Shot as silhouette against skylight, bird again grey overall. 

20260216 Purple Sandpiper
Flock of 12 here.

20260216 Purple Sandpiper
Rock hopping in the swell.

20260217 Firecrest
Probably roosted in this bush with the Hume's.

20260217 Hume's Leaf Warbler
Bird appeared early morn from within this bush...

20260217 Hume's Leaf Warbler

2060217 Hume's Leaf Warbler
In sunlight and showing olive green tones in mantle and scapulars.

20260217 Denes Oval
Favoured bushes along perimeter wall. 
HDR1 composite shot. Control of the sunlight and sky good but the mid-tones are oddly grey and 
lack contrast.

20260217 
HDR1 shot but not really necessary here.
Roost bush front middle.

20260217 North Denes Park
HDR1 shot.
What remains of it...
Birdseye factory in background & caravan park in foreground.

20260217 Meadow Pipit 
8 birds about fish drying racks of yore. 

20260217 Hamilton Dock Lowestoft
Today full of windfarm or gas and oil boats... drill baby drill.
HDR1 shot into the light.

20220426 Yellow-browed Warbler
Spring migrant in April...? NE Norfolk.
Less bright than a 1st autumn bird.
More contrast than Hume's.