Bottisham Lock II

 Quite a number of dogs and walkers out yesterday - and even an angler!

Bottisham Lock - frosty, misty morning I

 I couldn't resist the temptation to go for a walk this morning, and the early light was lovely.  

 It was lovely to get a good view of the first Fieldfare I'd seen this winter.   A Kestrel hovering is always attractive and previously I hadn't noticed just how spread out its tail feathers can be.   I need to look up what the Black-headed Gull is likely to have been eating.

American Cemetery

 By the time I got to the Cemetery there wasn't that much left of a frosty, misty morning.   However, not having been there for a long while, I was glad to face the challenges of photographing this site again.   It was disappointing not being able to photograph the beech wood for a 'contra jour' effect - another venue is indicated!   The woodland belongs to Cambridge University now and is an SSSI.

January 2022

 Here is the January image I've used on this year's calendar.   It was taken last winter on flooded fields in Cottenham which were attractive to Whooper Swans.

2022 Calendar

More of this year's calendar images were taken during 2021 which suggests it was possible to be away from home more often.    Here is the cover image, taken at dawn at Snettisham.   I love the experience of tens of thousands of water fowl flying low overhead to leave The Wash on a high tide and spend time on the RSPB lagoons.

Lackford Lakes V

 The remaining unposted animal from this trip was a Bank Vole which is very small and very quick and in the undergrowth much of the time.   I'd never seen one before and haven't managed to get a decent photograph of it yet either.

Lackford Lakes IV

 The greatest joys on this visit were to see and photograph Nuthatches and Tree Creeper(s).

When revisiting this woodland site after a cuppa, the privilege was to see a Tree Creeper(s).

Lackford Lakes III

 Not sure who provides the seeds for the woodland birds but it was a joy to be that close to a number of Tits and Robin.   Walking back to the Visitor Centre there was a Robin so close to the path that a telephoto lens was almost too long!

And then there were Robins.

Lackford Lakes II

 The latest RSPB magazine includes some collective names for flocks of birds, so it was lovely to see a "wisp" of Snipe.   Their camouflage is so good, and I think there are 10 Snipe in the image below.

There were several Teal too.

Cormorant and Little Grebe were both busy.

Lackford Lakes

 I shalln't make any promises that I shall keep this blog going, but it does need to start somewhere and a trip to this Suffolk Wildlife Trust site yesterday will give me a few postings!   I enjoyed meeting Ann and Phil there too.

The weather was dry with quite good light.   Today's posting will include familiar bird life, starting with a Little Egret.   It was busy looking for food and probably caught something in the second image.