Just One Pic Before the Rain

And here it is, frogs legs for lunch.

Images hard to come by again.

A strong southerly wind blowing across Marazion Marsh is mainly responsible for the lack of images just a swan from there. Quick trip to Hayle faired little better so onto the images:

Swan

Lapwing-stunning colours

Oyster Catcher

Curlew

Starling Bathtime

D3s makes debut, a disappointing one!!!!!

Well some good light to day for bird and wildlife photography so I set off thinking I would get some great images.  The newly acquired Nikon D3s performed well but failed miserably as a bird/wildlife magnet!!! Despite my best efforts today, Sthithians, Hayle and Marazion twice there was nothing showing for the camera almost like a wildlife bank holiday. So onto the pittance of images that I did manage to capture:

Kingfisher at Hayle

Butterfly

Little at Stithians

Lapwing on Hayle Estuary

Godwit Hayle Estuary

Starlings going to roost at Marazion (Organised Chaos)

Low Flyer over Hayle Estuary, no new news though

Started off at Ryan's Field timed to perfection as I got there the sun duly went in, b----r!!!. Decided to stick it out for thirty minutes or so. Watched astonished as someone in a Cessna did a low fly by over the Estuary and spooked everything on it. How low? well in the picture they had just come up from somewhere below the treeline. I t may of been officail business but if not they are idiots. Geese which were spooked duly ended up in front of the hide where I got some close up shots. I moved on from Ryans field to Marazion where the Sun was out occasionally but it was a real icy wind blowing through. The Bittern had flown just 5 minutes before I got there and I didn't see it again over the next three hours. But some good news, a Short Eared Owl landed in the field just next to me about 10ft away. Unfortunately I had the camera set to take and focus at distance, by the time I fiddled withthe focus distance switch under its plastic cover it was gone, B------s!!!
Idiot why didn't I just use the manual focus??? Anyway a soft shot of it going off into the distance is on this post, but a fantastic view in memory.  Day was rounded of with a close but somewhat obscured view of the Water Rail but I did manage a shot. Also took the plunge today and have a Nikon D3s on the way so hopefully get that tomorrow and have a play. Well enough from me onto the images:

Low Fly Past buzzing Hayle Estuary, the faint lines accross the images are the wires accross Ryan's Field.

Ruff

Pink footed goose

Grey Wagtail

Cormorant

Stone Chat

Short Eared Owl, that I missed

Water Rail

Wildlife Day Off

A very unproductive day today, with very little about. Hayle wasn't to bad, managed to capture the Curlew Sandpiper in some decent lighting and that was the highlight of the day. The Bittern made two very brief appearances at Marazion so brief no images were taken. With a rather chilly wind blowing across the Marsh I decided I had better things to do and called it a day. So onto todays rather pathetic return of just four images.

Little Egret an under exposure of 1 full stop was used here to stop the highlights on the bird being blown out.

Godwit

Curlew Sandpiper

Dunnock

Just Waders

Well today I would go out and try again for the Bittern in flight at Marazion and the Kingfisher close up at Hayle, typically neither of them would show or display as I wished. (It is only a matter of time) Thats the main problem with bird and wildlife photography you need patience and time in large amounts. To compensate then I had to make do with some waders on Hayle estuary and a reed shot off the Bittern that won't fly at Marazion (unless Tony minors is there!) Todays pictures:

Bittern

Teal

Lapwing

Curlew Sandpiper

Oyster Catcher

Rowdy Redshanks to start finishing with Bittern

Another blue sky day in Cornwall excellent for photography. Just wish there was a bit more activity!!! (I know we can't have everything) Straight onto the images tonight as I am short on time.

Rowdy Redshanks

Grey Wagtail

Canada Goose

Red Darter?

Kingfisher



Cormorant



Kestrel

Bittern

Bittern off to hide again after being elusive all afternoon!

Quiet Day with Bloody End

Had to wait in for the newly aquired Nikon 300mm F4 which I intend using as my walkabout lens. It duly arrived, spotless condition two weeks old only, £250 off bargain!!! Used it in some Snow Bunting images and first impressions are good. The diggers were doing their usual this morning carving up Marazion Marsh (RSPB and British Rail and danger of this activity ceasing or actually being sorted?) No sign of Bittern today, plenty of water rail, etc. A long distance shot of a long tailed tit gets on the blog as I haven't seen them for a while.  Resident Kestrel was hunting at Marazion. Nothing in photo distance at Ryan's Field so onto todays images:

Stonechat looking good in the early morning light

Long Tailed Tit

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Little Grebe with fish

Kestrel with prey

Kestrel dishing up supper.

Missed Opportunities

Cursing my luck today, At one stage I somehow set the camera to manual and didn't realise until I had took some close up Bittern and Kingfisher shots, B-gger!!!! Also given today was sunny I reckon the D300s is over exposing by 1 stop compared to my old Canon system so I shall have to review the histogram more often to keep a close eye on that one. Enough of my mistakes and onto the pictures: 

Yes kingfisher on the post at Marazion, one of the images that was taken with the camera set in manual by mistake. I didn't believe the Kingfishers used this post.

Heron with mouse? My view was obscured by reeds and the image over exposed.

The heron had the mouse firmly trapped in its beak and proceeded to take it to the water edge and try to drown it? or make it easier to swallow if wet? Anyway odd behaviour but glad I witnessed it even though the picture isn't great. This one is post the dunking.

Canada Geese fly into Ryans Field at high tide.

Kingfisher at Ryan's field, my closest image of a KF yet so it made up for all the near misses during today

Bittern, typical the sun went in before he flew, so a slow shutter of 1/180 sec.

Again camera was in manual and I didn't realise!!!! My closest view of a Bittern yet and sods law the camera was in the wrong mode!!!