Birding at Par ponds.

Drake Shoveler

Bright sunshine greeted us at Par this morning for the first Cornwall Wildlife Trust Photographic Group field trip of the new year.

Several members turned up and there were a few of the commoner birds about to photograph.

Here are some examples which look that much better when the sun shines!

Drake Shoveler

 

 

 

 

A Mute Swan in regal pose

Male Stonechat

Rock Pipit

Moorhen

Bird flocks at Walmsley

A flock of 66 Black Tailed Godwit were feeding in the meadow beside the road this afternoon.

There were also several hundred Lapwing taking advantage of the lower water levels inside the reserve.

Also present were 3 Green Sandpipers, 5 Pochard, 5 Little Egret, numerous Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler etc. along with many hundreds of Snipe that were showing really well.

River Camel floods 22nd December 2012

Polbrock meadows from the Camel Trail.

 
After weeks of heavy rain and 24 hours of virtually non stop downpour the River Camel decided to takeover the whole valley as a torrent ran off the already sodden land.

I walked from Treraven bridge at Wadebridge along the Camel trail as far as Polbrock where the river was right across the Camel trail and even with wellies I couldn't get through.

Here are a few record shots. 

Pendavey bridge on the upstream side.

The Camel trail about 200metres down from Polbrock bridge

The Camel trail at Polbrock bridge

The River Camel looking downstream from up on Polbrock bridge.

The River Camel looking upstream from up on Polbrock bridge.

The Camel trail impassable at Polbrock.

Ring necked Duck at Par Beach pool

Drake Ring necked Duck

This fine drake N.American Ring necked Duck was strutting his stuff on the Par beach pool this morning in the company of the very similar Tufted Ducks.

Drake Ring necked Duck

Waxwings on my home patch

Some shots of the 2 waxwings which were showing well on the berry bushes in a local garden this morning.
More images are available on my website by clicking here

Waxwing

Waxwings

Waxwings

Waxwing

Golden Eagle in Yellowstone Nat. Park.

Golden Eagle

As the weather here in Cornwall has been atrocious I thought I'd dig out a few more images from my trip to the States a few weeks ago.

We were in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone when we came across 2 Golden eagles feeding on something on the far edge of the river.

There were fishermen in the river but the birds seemed to be more concerned with fending off a couple of magpies which were giving them grief.

The river was quite wide and thus I was forced to use a 1.4 x converter on my 500 mm lens, so not the highest quality images I've taken. 

It was also 12:25 just after mid-day, so not light conducive to good photography but when a subject like this pops up in front, you have to take your chances!

Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle

Bald Eagle - Grand Teton N.P. Wyoming.

Bald eagle

I've been wanting to upload these images since getting back from the USA but as I'd entered one of them in the Cornwall Wildlife Trust photo competition I thought I'd best leave it until they'd been judged.
I shouldn't have worried as it was passed over anyway!

I came across this young eagle perched in a tree in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
I reckon it's probably a third year bird.
It proceeded to catch a fish and fly to a sand bank.

By the time I'd moved my 25 foot motorhome off the road it had eaten the fish and was in the river drinking. I then managed to grab a few shots as it flew away downstream.

Bald eagle

Bald eagle

Bald eagle

Bald eagle

Bald eagle