Welney - Birds on the Feeders

 Someone visiting from South Wales made the comment that the bird he found the most rewarding to see was the House Sparrow and sculking in the bottom picture is a female Reed Bunting.

Welney - Waders

 Some more images from the Wetlands.  It was lovely to watch a group of very well camouflaged Snipe feeding, one of many Lapwing/Green Plover/Peewit, the only  Redshank I saw, perhaps some Black-tailed Godwits and the delight of seeing three Curlew.

Welney II - Geese and Ducks

 I'm not sure how often I've seen Tundra Bean Geese but there was a group of 11 of them out on the water and a fair selection of Duck - Shoveler, Pochard, Teal and Wigeon.   There is very little land in the lagoon for any of the birds at present.

Welney Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust - Whooper Swans

 On my way back from an appointment in Wisbech it was very easy to take a short diversion to see how Welney was coping after so much rain and wind.   There were many more Whooper Swans on the fields around than on the reserve.   This courtship display caught my attention - before they leave Welney and return to Iceland probably.   After a noisey start to the behaviour it calmed down and off they went, in harmony,    The colour range and detail on the back feathers of a juvenile were very attractive.

Miscellaneous

 One of the first shrubs to flower in this garden is a Cornus and I was very taken with the yellow of the Cornus and the yellow on the Great Tit.

I am still enjoying some red tulips in a vase on the kitchen table and taken from a different angle.   A bit of 'contre jour'.....

St Giles Church, Risby - near Bury St Edmunds

 A couple of weeks ago a second cousin was staying with me and on our way to meet more cousins in Diss, Norfolk we called at Risby Church because a distant relative of ours had been the encumbent.   Sadly we didn't find everything we hoped to see but did take some photographs.   The nave and chancel date from the late 13th and early 14th Century, so at the very height of the English Decorated period.  I was very taken with the wall paintings but found nothing to indicate their age.

Having paid for the 1880s restoration, Thomas Abraham (distant relative) not unreasonably had the chancel glass dedicated to earlier members of his family. The best is probably by Clayton & Bell, depicting Miriam and St Cecilia and dedicated to Ellen Abraham who died at Florence in 1880.    How did we manage to miss these!

 The snowdrops were splendid.

Chippenham Park - Parkland

 There are some lovely trees formally planted and plenty of water.   A place to be visited again.........

Chippenham Park - Sculptures

 The parkland has a number of sculptures in it, only one in wood and the rest in metal.   Only one human form and the rest of wildlife.   Some very realistic and others presented in more artistic form.   An interesting mix...........