Sicily April 2017

Some photographs from a recent tour to Sicily.

Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis)

Mirror Ophrys (Ophrys speculum)

Forestier’s Ophrys (Ophrys forestieri)

Bertoloni's Ophrys (Ophrys bertolonii)

Bianca’s Ophrys (Ophrys biancae)

Beautiful Ophrys (Ophrys calliantha)

Black Spider Ophrys (Ophrys incubacea)

Crescent Ophrys (Ophrys lunulata)

 Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)

Short break in Devon

Some shots from a trip to Devon. 

The Sand Crocus supposedly only opens in sunlight. It was raining with total cloud cover when I took the photograph!

Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)

Sand Crocus (Romulea columnae)

Yellow Dung Fly (Scatophaga stercoraria)

Berry Head at dawn

Trinidad & Tobago February 2017

Some photographs from a recent tour to Trinidad & Tobago

Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris)

Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus)

Oilbird (Steatomis caripensis)

Special incubation period half price offer.  

‘The Peregrines of Norwich Cathedral’ HALF PRICE

To celebrate the Peregrines laying their first egg this year at Norwich Cathedral my book ‘The Peregrines of Norwich Cathedral’ now half price at just £6.25 including postage & packing (in UK).

Offer only available via direct orders and only until the first egg hatches or until 30th April, which ever is sooner.

Please order your copy by clicking on the heading ‘Bird & wildlife photographs’ at www.birdlineeastanglia.co.uk and following the instructions.

The second visit to Lincolnshire

Who could resist the chance of seeing a tame Bluethroat in Lincolnshire March 2017? 

Well I did put it off for several weeks and it didn't show while I was their for the first five hours. Long enough for me to get bored and leave the site, afterall it had been clear skies overnight, with the stars showing the way to go, it has to leave sometime. The inevitable happened so had to turn around a few miles away when news came through of it showing.

Front cover

A joy to see my Fieldfare photograph on the front cover of the latest Birdwatch magazine February 2017 issue

Unusual sights at Whitlingham Country Park Norwich

Unusual sights at Whitlingham Country Park Norwich in January 2017

A drake Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) with an immature Eurpean Eel being pursued by two eager Coots (Fulica atra)

Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) with a fisherman's lure

The first of what would be two trips to Lincolnshire

Who could resist the chance of seeing a tame White-billed Diver (Gavia adamsii) in Lincolnshire January 2017?

Thick fog put an end to any photography after about 8.30am. The fish in the lower photograph is a Ruffe. Thanks to James Lowen for the lift.
 

Cromer & Sheringham January 2017

Cromer & Sheringham: Black Redstarts & Glaucous Gulls

Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) As well as the summer plumaged male at the top this female or immature male was present at Cromer.

Glaucous Gull  (Larus hyperboreus) Saw five of these 'Arctic' Gulls at Sheringham. As well as three juvenile birds (like the top two) there were two adults.

Some recent photographs from Norfolk

Some recent photographs from Norfolk

Female Vagrant Emperor (Anax ephippiger) at Burnham Overy Dunes

Shocked to discover the record shot I took of a dragonfly at Burnham Overy Dunes was a female Vagrant Emperor (Anax ephippiger) on 25th October 2016.

Just in case it may be still there and someone wants to have a look for it on the next warm day, here is some further info

I think I saw the Vagrant Emperor intially immediately NE of Gun Hill favouring an open area with a scattering of privet. I put it down as a Migrant Hawker, as I never saw it perched, but did mention to two other birdwatchers there, to keep an eye open just to make sure. I couldn't get a photo as it was extremely flightly (rather like the Isabelline Wheatear there at the same time) 

A couple of hours later I bumped into a dragonfly that I did manage to get a poor photograph of  and which I presume was the same dragonfly (it was equally flighty and looked similar in flight). It was favouring the marram to NW of Gun Hill but keeping to the lower 'shelf' area between beach and first dune ridge. So 2-300 hundred meters from the potential initial sighting.

It always perched fairly low in the marram and was easily spooked.

Iceland...again.

Holiday in Iceland had a few surpises including this colour ringed Gyr. It was rung as a male nestling in June 2015. It looked so big I thought it might be a female at the time!

Gyr Falcon (Falco rusticolus)

Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Limosa tour to Iceland June 2016

Some photographs from a Limosa tour to Iceland June 2016.

We were very lucky with the weather. Calm enough for perfect reflections.

Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus

Roseroot Rhodiola rosea

Nootka Lupin Lupinus nootkatensis

Oysterplant Mertensia maritima

Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae

Ptarmigan Lagopus muta

Redwing Turdus iliacus coburni

Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata

Scaup Aythya marila

Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis

Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima

Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus