20260515 Stone Curlew, NE Norfolk

 

20260515 Norfolk Thicknee

20260515 Stone Curlew
 Well marked upperparts.

20260515 Stone Curlew
Whiter uniform underparts.

20250515 Stone Curlew

20260515 Stone Curlew
In much favoured habitat of ploughed but flinty field.
Minimal black margins on covert bar and pale legs suggest this is a female...

20260516 Stone Curlew
Nest on Pig Farm, SNorfolk.
Rare use of MC20 to give 2400mm, with afternoon heat haze.
Nest below electric fence line in very active section of farm.
 Had failed a week latter as overrun by the hordes of Pigs...

20260527 Stone Curlew
NNorfolk enjoying the early morn warmth before the real heat of the day...

20260512 Great Bittern, Strumpshaw Fen

 

20260512 Great Bittern
Arguably the top flight shot in 50yrs...

20260512 Great Bittern

20260511 American Golden Plover, Frampton Marsh

 

20260511 American Golden Plover
1st summer bird...
Expected an adult summer bird at this marsh.

20260511 American Golden Plover
One spangle shows in upper scapulars.

20260511 American Golden Plover
Flap following bathing.
Tinted brown underwing coverts and axillaries!
Long tibia also revealed.

20260511 Northern Lapwing
Photo ops at Frampton...

20260511 Pintail

20260522 Eurasian Golden Plover
Eye Field Cley.
Bird with damaged wing, another here with a broken leg.

20260509 Temminck's Stint & Little Stint, Cley Marshes

 

20260509 Temmink's Stint
4 on Pats Pool.

20260509 Temmink's Stint

20260509 Little Stint

20260509 Little Stint

20260427 Whimbrel & Whinchat, Cey Marshes

 

20260427 Yellow Wagtail
c30 flock in and out West, Eye Field.

20260427 Whinchat
Early morn, against murky light.

20260427 Whimbrel
Eye Field flyby.

20260427 Whimbrel
Overall a darker brown than ECurlew.

20260424 Yellow Wagtail & Black Tern, Nene Washes

 

20260424 Yellow Wagtail
Flock of c30 birds, all male...
along grass bank of Morton's Leam.
1/2000th at 1680mm...

20260424 Yellow Wagtail
Knee pad used to lower shooting position.
1/1600th, MC14... favour 1/2000th at this mag to freeze motion.
ISO1250 in strong light. Note almost BIF shutter speeds...

20260424 Yellow Wagtail
Bird at top of bank and shot from below.
Preferred grass background for this species. 

20260424 Yellow Wagtail
Back light and glowing result.

20260424 Black Tern
3 birds came through Washes late afternoon.
A vast area of wetland and therefore not great for bird shots...
unless one engages a flock of wags.
1680mm, 1/2500th. 
Raptor guru suggests 1/3200th for flight shots especially in strong light...

20260415 Ring Ouzel, Kelling Heath

 

20260415 Ring ouzel
With the resident.
+0.7 EV not necessary here. 1680mm. 1/500th sec too slow as slight motion blur on Ouzel.

20260415 Ring Ouzel
The pull shot.

20260415 Ring Ouzel
Adult female? Streaked throat and not jet black around head...

20260415 Ring Ouzel
Processed without interpolation...

20260415 Ring Ouzel
Brown edging in breast panel.

20260408 Ring Ouzel
Holme Dunes forestry.
Adult male, clean white breast crescent and black head.
Also 3 males at Blakeney today.
Abundant and extended passage this spring.

20260409 Garganey, Cley Marshes

20260409 Garganey
Pair on Watling Water.

20260409 Garganey
Surely to nest on the Salthouse Marshes.

 

20260413 Barn Swallow
Like all good second hide owners this swallow claims to be a resident of Cley...

20260402 Black Redstart, Holt Allotments

 

20260402 Black Redstart
Ad female swallow grub whole.
 Birds arrived along the coast today and over the last few days.

20260402 Black Redstart
Hue added just enough for rump and tail.

20260331 Jackdaw
Pair nest building, Stiffkey.
1200mm, no telecon. on a very dull day but surprisingly buoyant.

20260326 Twite & Grey Heron, Cley Marshes

 

20260326 Twite
12 in Arnold's scrub and onto fence.
Twittering heard way off. 

20260326 Twite
Evening rim light.

20260326 Twite
Males pink rumps.

20260326 Twite

20260326 Twite
Extreme crop.
Mustard yellow chin and throat.

20260326 Grey Heron
8 birds in Serpentine Stand on this windy morn.

20260326 Grey Heron

20260321 Hen Harrier & Short-eared Owl, Blakeney Spit

 

20260321 Cley Marshes
Misty early morn.
9-18mm at 36mm equiv, F7.1

20260321 Cley Marshes
Greyscale has it...?

20260321 Short-eared Owl
Over Blakeney Eye in murky light.
656mm, 1/2500th sec, F8.

20260321 Hen Harrier
Male hunting along shingle ridge.
Bird turned as not quick enough to drop to ground, and first focus missed here....
due to heat haze even at F11.
Note MC-14 at 1680mm as sun had got up.

20260321 Short-eared Owl
Massive crop.

20260321 Hen Harrier
Left wing on view in this shot...adds dimension to the image cf above.