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

Xmas Eve at Marazion

Well no cold weather/icy conditions like last year in December, pretty mild actually. Did see 2/3 Bitterns but all to distant for pictures.  Kestrel put on a nice hunting display again, but today the light was not quite the right angle on the bird for photography. (most of the time) Another couple of shots of a Meadow Pipit and Mallard. Hope you enjoy the shots and a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all my blog followers.

Kestrel Shoot at Marazion

Well I needed to burn some fuel off from the van before working on it tomorrow, so it was off to Marazion. Nothing doing and it was cold.  Out of the blue a Kestrel appeared and commenced hunting near the camera. I said yesterday on the blog all I needed was a blue sky. Well today I got one.  Hope you like the images:

First hunting circuit and a nice close up

Hovering low enabled a changed of background

On the ground ready to eat lunch

Off again having been disturbed by a rabbit

Finally the closest shot today

It was really difficult picking out the shots for the blog, there were so many to choose from as this bird posed beautifully for the camera.  Hope you enjoyed them!!! 

Cloudy Cornwall, but the camera still gets out!!!!

Another grey day with the odd chink of sunlight, surely this run of pants weather will change soon.  Don't mind another 10degrees off the temp, some snow and ice, but all this grey cloud and rain is winding me up.  Made a visit to Carnsew for calm conditions today.  One of the Great Northern Divers was about six meters off the edge from where I was standing, heading my way.  I was just waiting for it to get the right side of the light when someone stepped hastily out from the pathway behind me and off it went. "sorry I must off scared it"(happens from time to time) so that was that scuppered.  The cormorant made a close pass to make up for it. Decided to visit Marazion here I saw two Bittern, 1 x kestrel and a Water Rail. some pictures below.

Kestrel, (oh, for a blue sky?)

One of the two Bitterns

Great Northern Diver, making off.

Cormorant, up close.

Carnsew Pool Revisited

Following on from the day before I made another attempt to get some pictures of the two Great Northern Divers currently present at Carnsew. The wind had dropped significantly from yesterday which was a great help, although I was still dogged by poor light, the odd chink of sunshine getting through for a few seconds. (I finished work on Dec 8th and it has rained every day since then, is it me????) Despite all this the birds did give some confiding passes so I will be on the case again once the yellow thing in the sky re-appears!!! On the whole a big improvement from yesterday but worth another visit when the weather improves.

Cormorant

Great Northern Diver

Sunday Lunch

Brief glimpse of sunlight nicely lighting the bird

Another chink in the clouds lit this up.

Last one for today.

A Choppy Carnsew Basin followed by Marazion

Taking a break from the Christmas party season I managed to get out today.  First stop was Carnsew Basin to see if I could locate the Great Northern Diver. Well a walk down without the camera for a quick look and bugger there it was right in front of me. And yes by the time I got back with all the kit set up it was gone. I did manage one distant picture before it disappeared from view, and I couldn't find it again. The wind was Baltic and very strong buffeting me and the camera, not a nice place to be so after a short while I headed to Marazion where a lone Kestrel was out looking for lunch.

Great Northern Diver in Carnsew Basin

A Cormorant that obliged with a close pass

Kestrel on the hunt at Marazion

Almost a blank day saved by a Bittern

Well it was one of those days where nothing was showing or going right for me everything to far distant etc.  My last call was Marazion and on the way back to the van luckily I spotted a Bittern then another one. As the first one I spotted landed in the East side of the marsh another in the same area made it clear in no uncertain terms it wasn't welcome. The first one decided it would be a good move to fly over the railway line in a patch over there.  Initially I visited Godrevy to try for some shots of the Ring Neck duck but it was determined not to come close whilst I was there (B---ger) Still  managed a very distant shot. Ok onto the photo's:

Ring Necked duck on left

Pochard at ST Gothian Sands

Bittern a Marazion

Bittern at Marazion

North and South Coasts

Early start this morning for some surfing photography, wish I had stayed in bed!!!!!!!! Spotted some Plovers flying along the beach on the North Coast so was my first image. (Despite the order google wishes to put them in) I then moved onto Carnsew Basin, where I thought I spotted a Gooseander, this later turned out to be a Merganser when englarged on the computer.  From there I went onto Ryan's Field loads of Lapwings, Gulls etc. Finally I called in at Marazion out of the van to have a quick look and got really nice views of a Bittern, typical as the camera was in the van. I then seen it again although distant and then another one at the other end of the marsh, so there are at least two there now. So a dull cloudy day in Cornwall but things are looking up More birdlife and less tourists!!!!

Red Breasted Merganser Carnsew Basin

Redshank, Ryan's Field

Bittern Marazion

Little Egret, Marazion

Lapwing at Ryan's Field

Plovers at Sandy Acres Beach

Bittern at Marazion

Apparently this Bittern has been there a short time, but somewhat elusive, as usual. I managed to get a couple of distant shots today as it did a circuit of the marsh. It did re-appear about 4pm and flew behind the railway line and into the East end of the marsh. Couple of other pictures today from the usual suspects.

Bittern

Bittern

Grey Heron

Little Egret with Sunday Lunch

Flaps down for landing