Owl Surprise

This beautiful Short-eared Owl was a very pleasant first for me at the WWT London. It flew in across the main lake but didn't stay.

Unfortunately, having arrived at the site, it was quickly hassled by several Jackdaws, a magpie and even a Heron joined in.  As a result it departed to the south.

 

The owl (or a separate bird) was present an hour later briefly but was again mobbed and forced high before departing.

Rutting in the Dark

Last weekend I managed to get to Richmond Park far too early, and found myself stood in the park in the mist, in complete darkness.

It was quite eerie, as the Stags started bellowing well before dawn.  It seemed to take some time for the sun to come up, which maybe wasn't a bad thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BuidGuides Photo of the Week

I was delighted to have my recent Spoonbill image from Titchwell selected as Photo of the Week:

http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?gallery=1&mode=potw

 

 

 

Birdguides Commentary:

"Over the last three years, London-based bird photographer Tom Hines has uploaded almost 400 images to BirdGuides, two dozen of which have been selected as Notables. Alongside his more traditional shots of both common and rare birds, Tom likes to include some 'alternative takes' on his subjects, often featuring unusual crops of the birds to create powerful compositions, some of which have been among the most memorable uploads we've ever had. The reason these images have power is that they are simplified into a minimal number of elements and these elements are placed for maximum visual effect. Tom's latest example features a close crop of an overflying Spoonbill, with the line of the bird's outstretched neck and distinctive bill placed off-centre and parallel to the side of the frame, splitting the negative space of the blue sky along a third-line. Along the bottom of the frame, the perpendicular leading edges of the wings complete a rectilinear composition not often found in bird photography. This bold and graphic image finally earns Tom his first Photo of the Week."

Spoonbills

After a couple of visits to Norfolk this year, I was beginning to to doubt that the increasing population of Spoonbills were actually real.  Every one I had seen to date was stood motionless, asleep on a distant island.

My luck changed early on Saturday at Cley as a group of these superb young birds flew west over the marshes:

Later at Titchwell I was lucky again as a single individual flew off the freshmarsh straight overhead:

 

 

Gone Fishing - Gannets at Blakeney Point

During two days in Norfolk I made the long trek along the shingle to Blakeney Point.  On an otherwise very quiet day at the point, it was nice to find a group of around twenty young Gannets feeding quite close in shore.  It was a pleasure to watch this group so close and at eye level.