MORE BITS AND BOBS FROM TODAY

   Very early this morning walking round to the scrape via west and south hides I came across this Red deer standing on the path next to south hide. We saw each other at the same time but the deer did not immediately run off instead she looked at me as I froze and slowly moved the camera into position for a picture. I managed two photos before she jumped into the reeds beside her and disappeared probably startled by the camera shutter noise.

   Walking along the temporary wader trail I noticed a small flock of Goldfinches feeding on the thistle seeds, as I got closer I could see one bird sitting prominently on top of a thistle that was still in flower and managed to grab a picture before the flock flew up into a tree on the opposite side of the river. Looking at the picture I'm quite pleased with result, the colour of the flower really complimenting the bird and the out of focus background adding to the photo.

   I thought I would include another picture taken on the scrape of some Spotted Redshanks with a few Black Tailed Godwits taken in a better light so you can more easily see the colouration of the Godwits and the dark plumage of the Spotted Redshanks still in summer plumage.

   Finally a couple of pictures taken this evening from SWT Carlton marshes on the scrape they have developed over the last year. The first is a Greenshank looking good in the evening light and the second is a Little Egret coming in to land.