March/April 2016

female Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus)

I've been a bit lax recently with getting updates online, so here are a few photos from the few times I was out and about in the UK during March and early April.

female Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)

A female Mandarin had spent most of the winter at Attenborough, mostly hanging out with the other wildfowl close to the visitor's centre and I finally caught up with it one sunny morning.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Egyptian Goose (Alpochen aegyptiacus)

Egyptian Goose (Alpochen aegyptiacus)

A day trip to Gigrin Farm in mid-Wales to see the mass congregations of Red Kites coming in to feed was as spectacular as ever, but disappointing from a photographic point of view this time. It had been 7 years since I last visited and I'd forgotten that to get head-on shots of them swooping in to grab the chunks of meat there needs to be an easterly wind. It was westerly when I visited and consequently they all had their backs to me as they snatched their food from the ground. Still, it was a nice day out and I did at least get plenty of "standard" flight shots as a minor compensation....

Red Kite (Milvus milvus)

Red Kite (Milvus milvus)

Red Kite (Milvus milvus)

Red Kite (Milvus milvus)

Red Kite (Milvus milvus)

Rooks and Carrion Crows were also plentiful, and I actually probably spent more time photographing them than the kites!

Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

When the Lesser Celandines start to bloom it is a sure sign that spring is not too far away...

Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)

Finally, patience and perseverance is the key to photographing Cetti's Warblers. Thankfully, they are now quite common at Attenborough so the chances of briefly seeing one out in the open are a lot better than they were a few years ago.

Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti)

February 2016 (Scottish Highlands) 2016 Index April / May 2016 (NE Spain pt.1)