Wonderful Whoopers

Recently I made a couple of visits to Martin Mere Wildfowl and WetlandsTrust.I had gone specifically to photograph the arrival of the whooper swans from Iceland.They usually arrive a little later than the pink footed geese and the numbers build up over the following weeks.They did arrive on time aided by the warm and settled weather we have recently enjoyed.

I usually make for the Hale hide as lots of potatoes are put down for the swans and geese in front of the hide.Nice flight shots of the swans can be obtained as they come into land in front of the hide.They also like to bathe and preen following their long journeys and make nice subjects for the camera.

Shown below are some of my better efforts with the camera and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did in taking them.Thanks for looking in and hopefully after the current unsettled and wintry weather goes away I will be able to bring you more from my wildlife exploits.

Great White Egret...Leighton Moss

Last week I made a visit to Leighton Moss to see what was around.A number of Great White Egrets,up to five I believe,had been roosting at Leighton along with large numbers of little egrets.The Great White Egret is a bird that is appearing regularly now in this country and is a possible coloniser as did the little egret some years ago. I saw a couple from Lillian's hide but they were distant and only provided record shots for the camera. Later from the causeway hide I saw another distant Great White feeding at the far end of the reserve and close to the Lower hide.

I hot footed it down to the lower hide and there was the Great White giving excellent views close to the hide.However it soon flew to the other side but eventually came back to fish in front of the hide.

By now the sun was beginning to set after another fabulous Autumn day and the light was perfect to photograph this spectacular bird.It had found a hot spot and was catching small pike.Whilst I was watching it caught four small pike and gave me some great opportunities for the camera.The sunset was also lovely to see and all too soon both egret and the sun vanished.It was a super end to an otherwise quiet day at Leighton Moss.Thanks for looking in and hope you enjoy the images above of this spectacular egret in the late afternoon sunshine.

Rusland Rut

October is the time of the year when red deer come together to mate.It is known as rutting and sometimes involves in fighting amongst rival stags as they compete for the attention of the females.It is an annual spectacle which I like to see and photograph and in the past I have gone to Leighton Moss.I understand that some of the deer have been culled and few are present so this Autumn I visited the Rusland Valley in the southern Lake District.I had good reports that the deer were showing well and so on a couple of occasions recently I visited this lovely part of southern lakeland.

There is a nature reserve at Hay Bridge in the Rusland valley and that is where I expected the red deer to be. A trip onto the reserve confirmed the presence of deer as they could be heard bellowing and roaring in the distance.It was not however possible to get near the deer and so I left Hay Bridge to have a ride around the Rusland valley.The Rusland valley is secluded and very peaceful as it is well off the tourist trail and is a lovely area to explore.One notable feature is the church at the head of the valley where one of this country's famous authors lies buried alongside his wife.

Arthur Ransome was the author of many children's adventure stories and is probably best known for writing "Swallows and Amazons" which was set on Coniston Water.Arthur Ransome had a very interesting life and married a high ranking Russian officials daughter.He was also an excellent fisherman and lived in various houses in Southern Lakeland.I always like to pay my respects when in the area and visit the beautifully situated church at the head of the valley.

On my way back down the valley a group of red deer could be seen not far from the road at the edge of Rusland Moss.There was one dominant stag and one or two young bucks  with around six or seven hinds.I spent an interesting hour or so photographing the deer and was pleased with the results.I did in fact return at a later date and found the deer still in the same location.It was a lovely location on the edge of Rusland Moss and the deer enjoyed the sanctuary of the birch trees and long grasses of this part of the valley. I hope you enjoy my efforts at capturing the excitement of the rut and if you get the opportunity to visit this part of the Lake District you will not be disappointed.Thanks for looking in and tune in for my next trip to Leighton Moss where I had excellent views of one of the Great White Egrets currently on the reserve.

Arrival Of The Pinks

At this time of the year I always look forward to the arrival at Martin Mere of thousands of pink footed geese from their breeding grounds in Iceland.This last week or so this has been happening with favourable weather the geese have made the 600mile journey non stop.This alone is a remarkable feat and it is wonderful to watch them coming into land after their long journeys.The fields at Martin Mere had been cut ready for the geese and they took up many acres on the grasslands and adjoining meres.

It was quite a spectacle to witness.As well as the thousands of wings in the air,it was wonderful to hear the sounds made by the throngs of geese as they headed for their winter quarters on the mosslands of south west Lancs.Of course I was kept busy with the camera and I have tried to capture some of the excitement of this mass arrival.Nothing though can compare with actually being there and there is still time to witness this annual spectacle.I don't think the full quota has yet arrived and more settled weather later this week should bring in more birds.As well as the pinkfooted geese the whooper swans are also due to arrive from Iceland and again although in lesser numbers than the geese they still provide a wonderful spectacle at this time of the year.

Thanks for looking in and hope you enjoy my efforts below at trying to capture the arrival of the geese.It could be a busy time coming up as my next assignment is to photograph the red deer rut at a nature reserve in the Lake District. So call in again  for more accounts and images from my travels.