It was a cold but sunny day yesterday so Limpy and I decided to spend a few hours seeing what was about at Abberton. Before heading to the Visitor Centre we stopped at the Layer Breton causeway:
I always love seeing moorhens' and coots' amazing feet!
There were plenty of black-headed gulls about, all floating about on the wind. Lovely.
The conditions were perfect to show off the crow's beautiful sheen.
You get the impression he knows it, too!
Greylags aren't subtle even when they're relaxing.
After hot tea and lovely hot egg rolls in the Visitor Centre we headed out onto the reserve. There was plenty to see:
I love seeing cormorants.
A mass flap of wigeons.
The Canada geese see them off in their usual subtle way.
The starlings took pity on me and sat still - well, most of them.
Awwwwww!
A rather too distant kestrel, though close enough to see the lovely colouring.
An incoming pile of greylag geese!
There's no escaping the Godfather - these great black-backs are finding me everywhere!
A beautiful marsh harrier.
Off it goes!
The shovelers were enjoying a mass shovel.
I couldn't resist this gleaming mallard.
Back at the Layer Breton causeway we were treated to yet more birdlife:
Hello, Mrs Chaffie.
To say that Egyptian geese are weird looking birds is the year's understatement.
A lovely female smew! She spent most of her time underwater.
This tufted duck seems to have gone for the punk look.
Finishing with these incoming mute swans.
Enjoy, as always.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
I'm only looking at this in my phone but your Kestrel looks like a juvenile Peregrine to me.
Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos
(One bush does not shelter two Robins)
Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)
It's definitely a kestrel. I watched it hovering for some time before getting this snap.
A lovely female by the looks of it Clare but I also see what MC means ... did google some images of both to make sure!
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A nice day out you certainly had, all lovely but I like the swans flying in tandem.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
WendyBartter said: A lovely female by the looks of it Clare but I also see what MC means ... did google some images of both to make sure!
Now I'm looking on a laptop I can see what it is.
Lovely shots, Clare. Your Crow is a cracker, more people should be out there photographing them. I love the flock shots as well, really gives a sense of the action.:-)
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Paul A said:Your Crow is a cracker, more people should be out there photographing them.
brilliant set Clare and how wonderful those Crow looks with its glossy feathers.
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Regards, Hazel
Very nice pictures Clare.
Jim
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A lovely collection, Clare--thanks for posting! I'm with the others--love the Crow, the Kestrel, and the flock shots especially. Was it busy in the visitor's centre? I had hoped to get there for a couple days before Christmas, but it is looking less likely. However, I'll PM you if we manage to find a couple days, otherwise it will have to be sometime next year.
Kind regards, Ann