Sunny Cornwall "at last"

Well it has been a long wait but finally after some weeks the light and wind was good for photography, so  a lot of cameras out and about today. A bit foggy early on but this soon burned off to allow the winter sun to shine through. Marazion was quiet apart from the Reed Cutter. Did see the Bittern so that is still there, Kestrel made an appearance also. Then I went to the boating lake in Helston for another go at the Egyptian Goose, light here was fantastic. So onto the images:

Chiff Chaff

Kestrel

Cormorant (thought it was tangled in a fishing line, but this was not the case)

Egyptian Goose

Mallard enjoying the sun

Tufted duck

Shoveler

Shoveler

Helston Egyptian Goose

Well a quick post today from Helston Boating Lake. Really awful light again despite the forecast of sunshine!!!
Anyway the Egyptian Goose is still present for now.

Killer Carrion at Ryans Field

An injured Lapwing was struggling at Ryans Field, two Carrion Crows were immediately on it's case. The Lapwing put up a tremendous fight but in the end there was only going to be one outcome. The Lapwing had to endure its original injury, pecking and the drowning attempts by the assailants. Weakened the bird was dragged onto the shore, where the two carrion pinned the bird down and just ate it whilst it was still alive, feathers and chunks of lapwing were ruthlessly ripped from bird.  All this took four minutes before the Lapwing succumbed. So that is how nature works the strong pick out the weak and a brutal, sometimes slow death follows.  Anyway after watching the Crows have lunch I popped over to Marazion very quiet here, did get a fleeting glance of the Bittern so one is still there. Again photography was dogged by bad light, so image quality isn't fantastic, but I try! Hope you enjoy the images from my first post this year.

The attack commences as the injured Lapwing struggles in the water

Dragged to shore, the Lapwing is doomed

Eaten Alive

Still enjoy his ill gotten meal

Swan in flight at Mrazion

I said it was quiet, even the Mallard is in the first post of 2012

A Selection of Images from 2011

Apologies if you have seen some of these before.  These are some, not all of my favourites from 2011, some technically not perfect but I like them for one reason or another. By my standards it was a quiet year, hopefully 2012 will be much more productive. Highlight of the year was the Isle of Mull, hopefully I can return there soon. Well enough text from me and onto the images:

"Who's going first"? Black Guillemots, Oban

A rather rain sodden, Hooded Crow, Isle of Mull

Otter enjoying crab, Isle of Mull

Waxwing, as far south as Penzance

White Tailed Sea Eagle, a Barn Door of a bird, Isle of Mull

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stithians

Black Necked Grebe, Carnsew or Drift?

Red Fox, Stithians

Kestrel, Carnsew

Bittern, Marazion

Great Crested Grebes, Stithians

Sanderling, Marazion

A Wet and Windy Carnsew Pool

Well the weather is still destroying my efforts to get some decent pictures of the Great Northern Diver at Carnsew, heavy wind and showers. The wind made it almost impossible to take pictures with the big lens today. Certainly just could not get the Turnstone's right. Do seem to be having some luck with Kestrels at present though! Onto the images from today then:

Little Egret

Turnstone, impossible to hold the camera steady even on a tripod due to the gusting winds

Kestrel, shame about the sky but that changed the next time around

Nice capture of the rare blue sky and a Kestrel, notice the blood on the claws and face area, looks like he has just fed a short time ago.

Great Northern Diver at Carnsew Pool

Well we are still having a unbelievable run of cloud and crap light, and it looks set to continue. Well all I could do today was practice trying to get a bit closer to the Great Northern Diver using the D300s instead of the D3s.  Well I did get closer but had to wait over an hour for the bird to come in range and by then the light was very poor. So just the one shot, but at least the good shots will be there if the sun ever appears again before the bird departs.

Great Northern Diver-Carnsew Basin