Brandon Marsh Thur 27th Jan

OK, I've been allowed out again, gentle exercise they said.....

So I made good use of my new 24hr access to Brandon Marsh, going in before opening time, but after sun up, trying out the new extender and my new jacket, which I fell in love with the pockets as soon as I put it on.

They are proper pockets, not tiddly things for a pair of gloves or keys, or other tiddly items. The breast pockets are big enough to fit most bird and wildlife ID books, the lower side pockets, I could fit a small packed lunch in and I have started to investigate the inside pockets yet.

I think in total, 13 pockets inside and out!

It was still very cloudy when I arrived, as per forecast, though sun had been promised, and it did arrive, but I wasn't deterred, it was an opportunity to see what life is like there before opening to the public, and the first sighting was a muntjac, though no photo, it scarpered once it clocked me....

I as a little surprised the hides were still open, but relieved, because there is so much foliage that it isn't always easy to get a view across the pools, and with the wooded area being so quiet, not even a robin or blackbird, but I could hear the pools were active.

The fist hide, all to myself, so I set the tripod up to play with the new 2x extender, knowing that AF doesn't work when it coupled to the lens, at the first photos were a great white egret, and from what I later found out, a newly regular visitor.

At 400mm using AF

at 800mm using MF

All the usual waterfowl on the pool, from here, unless specified with 800mm before the photo, all taken using the 100-400 and no extender, 

Mr Tuftie

Mr Pochard

Another Mr Tuftie, with weed hanging from the bill!

Could have wiped his mouth before coming up....

On my way to the other hides, the path is often frequented by chaffinches and goldfinches, but the light was against clear identification, so I was pleasantly surprised at getting a clear photo, goldfinches by the dozen in the trees overhead

The snipe were showing well and very active right in front of the same hide as they have been since last November

Splish splash

I was long in the bath....

A shovelor with head above water, gliding graceful past, an opportunity to play again with the extender

More snipe. Talking to a couple of others in the hide, we reckoned there would be around 30 or so snipe just below the hide.

Without any warning, out comes a water rail!

After a trip to the Badgers Tearoom, for a cuppa, it was back to the hides and see if the kingfisher was going to show. As yet at this point, no one had seen the kingfisher...

Guess what, neither did I....

But there were still others to see, like this little egret in the trees

at 400mm

at 800mm

and 800mm cropped

Whilst scanning the pool, I spotted a headless cormorant!

A shovelor that was bragging after seeing off two males!

A cormorant, not the headless one earlier, that was still on the post, headless....

Oi?

That you making that noise?

Am gettin' oud a ere....

A pair of shoveleos doing what shovelors do....

Mr Teal

Oooo! 

Look?

The headless cormorant has found its head!

Mr Gadwall

Finally, a black headed gull created a lot of discussion in the hide, is seems to still have summer plumage, or possibly making an early start on the summer plumage.

Because of the distance away from the hide, the extender was used and the image heavily cropped, pushing the boundaries and a good test of clarity, I don't think even with AF it would have been any clearer, certainly not at 400mm.

800mm heavily cropped

Other species seen, goosander, M+F,  shelduck, mallard, mute swan, reed bunting, lapwing (they seem to be ten a penny at the moment), canada geese, coot, moorhen, grey heron (seen flying over with large branch in beak, most likely nest building), to name a few, but NO robin, blackbird, blue tit, all three of which are usually commonplace.

They must have gone camera shy, not wanting to get picked out by the extender... 

A good day out, and new toys tested.