LAST FEW IMAGES FROM 2013

   In the last couple of weeks the chances to get out and about have been few and far between mainly down to the lousy weather and very poor light for photography but as I'm sitting here watching the rain beating down on the window and the wind threatening to flatten our fences I thought I would round off the year with a quick look at the few images I did manage to get when conditions allowed.

   I always enjoy my visits to SWT North Cove mainly because so few people get there and I am pretty much guaranteed to get good views of many of our woodland species and last week was no exception. I had Robins, Blue tits and Great tits all perched close to me (see above) and also had glimpses of Siskins, Redpolls, Bullfinches, G S Woodpeckers, Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk. On the way back to the car I saw these two female Pheasants having a disagreement and posturing to each other before the dominant bird won the day and chased off the other.

   On another day I went down to the beach at Covehithe and on the way saw a variety of hedgerow birds including Chaffinches, House Sparrows, Dunnocks, Wrens and another Sparrowhawk. The pig fields were well stocked with various members of the crow family as well as Starlings and numerous Pigeons and on the hill fields beyond were several hundred geese which were a long way off but appeared to be mainly Barnacle and Canada although I couldn't be sure of this. On the beach were 4 Ringed Plovers that were quite flighty but with a bit of patience I managed to get a usable shot of an adult bird shown below.

   Finally on Saturday I went down to Oulton marshes and managed to catch up with the Glossy Ibis that appeared there the previous week. I have included a shot of this bird below taken at distance as it is an unusual visitor to our shores normally found around the Balkans and the Middle East. Having said this quite a few Glossy Ibis have been seen in the last few weeks around the country so there must have been a bit of an influx. At distance it appears to be black but closer views would show a more brown/bronze colouration especially if seen in the sunshine.