Goosander at Clayhithe

I had to identify this bird on getting home and was delighted to find it is a Goosander.   I'm not sure that The Cam downstream of Clayhithe is a typical stretch of water on which to find a Goosander at this time of year.   There was no sign of a female, but I shall check out this stretch of water again before too long.   It is the same stretch of water that the pair of Great Crested Grebes are inhabiting - and they were there again this morning (although no courtship display indicated).

Male Mallard in Flight

It was quite a cold morning, but very still and sunny.   I tend not to give enough attention to photographing the more usual birds on the waterways in the Fens, but I was glad to have tracked this male Mallard in flight.

Great Crested Grebes, Clayhithe

I was hoping to see Great Crested Grebes displaying, and the classic pose seems to be when they display with vegetation in their mouths.   It is clear these two are a pair as they are carrying nesting materials but didn't get into quite the classic pose, although they were very close to it.   Must mean I need to go back there again...........

 Good to see a male Reed Bunting having a morning sing.

Barn Owls, Welney

The weather was glorious with little wind and a blue sky - perfect for a winter trip to Welney.   Miles and I were expecting our attention to be drawn to the swans but instead we spent a happy hour enjoying a Barn Owl fly up and down a drainage ditch between the bridge and hides.    The later images are of a second Barn Owl which passed through without quartering - it isn't ringed!   We saw no evidence of either bird having caught anything to eat.

The final photograph is of two Redshanks, perhaps a pair, caught in the evening light.

Wicken Fen - Cock-up Bridge

Only time for a short walk today, but enjoyable nevertheless on a chilled, clear day.   There wasn't that much to see, and certainly not close at hand.  A tripod sometimes seems an encumbrance, but it is so necessary, particularly when the wildlife is at a distance, and I didn't have one today!   Still, a Blue Tit feeding was close enough.

Two Shovelers, one needing to have a scratch

Blue Tit enjoying a winter feed

Not often does a bird fly towards the camera, but this Fieldfare did!

Quy Fen - winter morning

The temperature for the whole of the walk was below freezing which created an atmospheric mist hanging over the field which was being ploughed.   Nearby there was plenty of agricultural activity with the collection of sugar beet involving a fleet of lorries, starting with someone filling a hopper which was filling a conveyor belt which was filling the lorries with the beet.   And then off to the A10 and/or A14 to the sugar factory either at Wissington or Bury St Edmunds I would guess.

Quy Fen was frozen in the main and provided some attractive landscapes with powerful cloud reflections.

Milton Country Park

Nothing of note to photograph except the colour of morning on a cold winter's day.

A quick glance could lead one to think about there being snow on the mountains in the background

This first panoramic view chopped off the tall grasses on the left hand side

This panoramic view includes the tops of the tall grasses but isn't that balanced a composition.   More to learn...............

Roe Deer near the Research Park

To reinforce the discipline of keeping the blog going, here are some images which I wouldn't rate highly as photographs, but they are going to be able to record where I walked the dogs and the conditions.

The light was behind the deer initially and produced this contre jour image, with the light also catching on the long grasses

A bit unsettled at this point and thinking about disappearing

Checking us out to see if we were threatening

By this time the light had moved round and brought a lovely warm colour to the deers' coats

That wind!

On leaving home there was a very strong wind blowing, and no chance of any bird photography.   Everything which might have flown had sought cover except for some Coots which bobbed about on The Cam near Clayhithe on what was virtually 'white water'.

Thankfully I did take some waterproof clothing but even that couldn't withstand the battering of wind and rain which soaked both the dogs and me.    Even the dogs objected to the conditions!   The only thing to do was to head for home, have another shower and set about a bowl of porridge.

The lower branches of this Willow tree were like a curtain of colour.

This may look like mist but is in fact rain being blown almost horizontally across fields.

On the Bus

As I'm hoping to use this blog as a way of capturing the year photographically, I need to photograph events which wouldn't necessarily warrant a photograph or use different techniques by way of experimentation.

Here are three images which had some Silver Efex treatment and which record my return on the Park & Ride bus to the Milton terminus.

 I seem to have managed to display these images as I had intended!