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.
Very nice pics Clare, the Crow is fabulous, so shiny, and the BHGull also is a cracking shot, but I particularly like the Marsh Harrier, well captured.
Lot to learn