I said I was going to days out.
Yesterday I was in Norfolk and Cley on the Norfolk coast. It was so good there will be more time there, soon.
First, a couple of scene-setting photos from Blakeney, fairly early in the morning:
It was a very high tide:
Then, some birds. First, avocet the Audrey Hepburn of the birding world, according to Chris Packham), lapwing and a rogue ruff in the foreground:
I was using an unfamiliar camera, but was pleased with this immature herring gull:
Geese are what this week is about. The smaller dark-headed ones are pink-foots, that will have arrived from Iceland, Greenland or the north of Russia in the last few days
. The orange billed ones are greylags (scientifically 'anser anser', or literally 'goose goose': so good they named then twice):
One of my favourite ducks, a gadwall. I think I have pushed the telephoto hard, but this lovely duck is often overlooked and that is a real shame:
And the smallest and sweetest of ducks, the teal (male higher and the female, lower):
There were loads more: marsh harrier, dunlin, meadow pipit, Cetti's warbler (heard only, of course, although I have seen one this year), buzzard, godwits, greenshank and so much more to keep me happy.
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I love seeing your photos, I used to live near your part of the world. Now in Scotland, and the geese have arrived just as the swallows are leaving. There is something about the skeins flying across the skies, honking, that moves the heart with a wild longing.
I have been talking a Kyrylo geese this morning in another walk
Brilliant birds
It certainly beats going to the out of town shopping centre to add to your brand collection of trainers!!
Thanks for sharing.
🙂
Love that area. Cley, Salt House, Morston, Wells. Beautiful natural lanscape and endless skies. I can recommend the four quays bike ride on a locally hired bike.
I prefer walking….but agree, a great area
I am full of jealousy being stuck indoors with my leg in a brace. You are obviously no mean photographer in amongst your many talents. And I’m afraid I don’t know a sparrow from a thrush to my shame (well maybe not that bad!). What camera are you using? I’m a fan of Sony which is only because I graduated from Minolta so that I could continue to use use my collection of lenses. Keep posting the pix so I can pretend I’m there too.
Those were taken with a mix of iPhone and a Sony RX10 IV, which would take a lot of learning and which seems to underexpose a bit – so maybe I have something wrong. I am trying it because as a bridge camera it has long telephoto – but also lots of compromises in quality. But I am not looking for professional quality – just another way of looking at birds. I was into photography when much younger. It’s very different now.
A very good choice IMO. Perfect for birds with its superfast tracking. From my point of view I think it has the e-mount so wouldn’t be compatible with my A mount collection of lenses. I would urge you to learn its capabilities. Maybe a new career beckons?
Definitely not – but I have the chance to explore it more.
Thanks Richard. Puts me in mind of our visits to Slimbridge. We always had a good chuckle at the eider ducks and their comical call
I have only ever seen them in Northumberland