Martyn Pitt

Oi smiffy ... get a job Duck .... The last one is quite scarce as far inland as Belvide,it's an American Long Tailed Duck, it has been with us 120 days now ... be charging it rent soon

That would have been wrong on so many different levels

I thought it was the dress code ... explains the looks I got last time out

I remember him running down the hall and leaping onto the stage, I did not think it was Walter & The Admirations though Dave, I thought it was something exclusive to Butch. I think it was Polly that christened it "reverse stage diving" in the following issue of Manifesto

Looks a bit choppy there Steve

On the Marsh Tit the spot on the upper mandible is definitive, (they also have a pale line runs up the edge of the greater coverts), the Marsh Tit always looks a neater bird, the Willow tends to look scruffy.

That is a Marsh Tit Steve, pale spot at the base of the upper mandible (never on a Willow Tit)

Peter, Collins Gem do a good series of ID books for Birds about the size of a fag packet, not as in depth as some others but is certainly pocket size, they also do others in the series for Butterflies, Trees and Insects, they are around £5 I think

It is not that complicated, if Smiffy can use one anyone can A good simple to follow book, written in plain English is "Digital Exposure Handbook" by Ross Hoddinott ... LINK There are a few of us on here that could help out if you hit a brick wall, the beauty of digital is that you can see instantly if you have got it right or wrong.

There were about 12 - 15 of them up at the reserve, they are great to photograph as they are pretty tolerant of humans, as long as you do not move too quickly it is possible to get fairly close to them, especially if they are preoccupied with the willow herb seeds.

Here is a winter visitor, a Redpoll ... stuffing itself with willowherb

A few dragons from Lanzarote (pretty similar to the Common Darters we get here)

Looks like me and you Steve ... old and past it

Out maggot drowning again then Steve We had 4 Hobby at the reserve last week, 3 of them juveniles they will soon be heading off back to Africa once all the Dragonflies have gone. Talking of which, a Migrant Hawker from the weekend

Not long Chalky there were a few about perched on stems, just a case of sneaking around to the right position to get the angle on the shot.

A different take on a Common Blue Damselfly .... "I can see you"

The 7D is a good camera for the wildlife, and is capable of some great results. Time is always a bugger to find Steve

Got the bug then Steve A few more shots from Sunday

Yes Pete it's a Long Tailed Tit

Judging by how steep your garden is there , are you sure they are not Mountain Goat

A couple more airborne shots, a House Martin and an Oystercatcher There are several pairs of Oystercatchers at the reserve that have bred, this one was busy visiting the adjacent fields in the hunt for worms for the chicks

Steve A pair of GCG courting (we have several on nests so it must have worked) We also have a pair of Little Grebe (or Dabchicks) sat on eggs And a good number of Tree Sparrows

Hi Joan, nice to see the youngsters ... hard to imagine that if they survive those little fluffy things will be able to reach speeds of 200 MPH when they grow up.

I saw a Cuckoo on Sunday Steve, sadly a species in decline Anyway back to the images, a Grebe fancies a Perch

Here is a Tern catching it's lunch, quite a sight to watch them plummet head first into the water from around 30 feet