Kingfisher Blues

At the beginning of 2010 I set myself two target birds to photograph during the year.The first was a Sparrowhawk the second a Kingfisher.Last weekend I managed to achieve one of my objectives by photographing a pair of Kingfishers. I travelled to Rye Meads a RSPB nature reserve which is just up the A10 from Enfield. At the Kingfisher hide it is possible to photograph Kingfishers as it overlooks an artificial sand bank that was created to encourage Kingfishers to breed. A pair of Kingfishers have been observed breeding at the site and exploring the sandbank as a possible nest site. As you can see from my images which were taken on Sunday 11th April I managed to capture the male Kingfisher bringing a present in the form of a fish for his female mate. Whilst I am fairly pleases to have captured these images I had to put on my 2x teleconverter on my Sigma 300mm f2.8 lense to get close enough and this and poor light may account for a lack of sharpness on a couple of the images. Now does anyone know a camera friendly Sparrowhawk preferably in Cornwall.

Last Postings From Cyprus

These are the last images from our trip to Cyprus in March.They are a mixed selection in terms of species and quality of image They include photos of a couple of Cockerel's from Chris and Flora's farm. They are our cousins in Liopetri with whom we stayed and like a lot of Liopetrian's are very hard working.They have a small farm as well as other daytime jobs.Liopetri and the surrounding villages are renowned for it's soil and this area is home to the Cyprus potato. Whilst they may not be coventional images to put on a site I like the fine colours and detail in both photos. All the chickens on the farm are free range and can cause quite a commotion when it is feeding time. I have also included a photo of a Hoopoe which I took at the Salt Lake in Larnaca.It is not a great quality shot but I am just pleased to have captured it in flight from a distance as it is such an illusive bird to photograph .
The bird of prey was taken high in the Troodos mountains and whilst I cannot be certain I thought it was either a Long Legged Buzzard or a Bonelli's Eagle. This was based on it's very pale head and red colouring. This bird was hovering only about fifty yards in front of me on a high, steep mountain road however I messed up the shot so only have this distant photo to show for it. Still there's always next time! The final images are of a large Lizard I spotted near Achna Dam which appeared quite happy to be photographed in the Cyprus sunshine.

Still More Images from Cyprus

My third batch of images from Cyprus include a photo of a Northern Wheatear which kept popping up in front of me as I walked to Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque. I have also included images of what I believe to be a Black Eared Wheatear [please tell me if I am wrong] which I saw near the village of Lania which we visit frequently in the Troodos mountains. The other images are of a Little Ringed Plover which I took at Larnaca Salt Lake and a Crested Lark at Achna Dam. I had hoped to photo the large numbers of flamingos that Winter at Larnaca Salt Lake and whilst I saw some when we landed at Larnaca airport they were all gone when I visited there the next day with camera at the ready. Perhaps next year my timing will be better.

More Photos from Cyprus

I took these photos of some very obliging swallows at Potomos near Ayia Napa. At Potamos there is a small river which is full of small fishing boats which catch local produce for local restaurants. In March it was very quiet and very beautiful in the Spring sunshine.

Photos from Trip to Cyprus March 2010

These photos were taken of a Spectacled Warbler at Potamos near Ayia Napa, in Cyprus during my holiday there a week ago. This bird was very difficult to photo as it disappeared every time I tried to get close to it.

Bittern Images from Marazion Marsh

These are a selection of the Bittern images I took on the weekend of the 6th and 7th February on Marazion Marsh. I estimated there were at least 3 birds present during the weekend. Essentially a shy bird they are incredibly well camouflaged by the reeds and are a challenge to photograph. I was particulary inspired to capture these images having seen others published by local photographers on their blogs.

Photos from Cornwall February 2010.

The above images were taken during my weekend in Cornwall between the 5th and 7th Februaryo 2010. They include images of Barnacle geese and a Whopper swan at Drift. Also a flying Mute swan from Drift, Redshank at Marazion and Cattle egret at Brew Farm,Sennen. I have also included my favourite images amongst this batch the Wren at Marazion marsh.