I Finally Make It - 4

Day 4, AM - Bee-eaters

We are stood at the meeting location Casa de Labor are we are told "it's bee-eater"...I ask where ? and the gent points to a "pop-up" about a hundred meters away on a mound, right, ok, so off we go.

It's a two man pop up hide, no, really a one man hide ! so with the bags out side we we set up. About 20 meters away the a branch that the Bee-eaters have been taking advantage out quite close to where they are breeding in a bank over a stream, you just have to wait, and wait and wait.

Occasional we get a visit of a single bird, no pairs, no interaction, but at least we are getting some images.

Not the best of experiences but it's another ticked off the list. This afternoon...the Hydro Hide....wow !

El Taray Map

 Bee-eater

Day 4, PM - Hydro Hide, Laguna de El Taray 

This afternoon it's a session in a Hydro Hide, if you'r wondering what this looks like here's an image of the vary same taken from El Taray's site. 

Get your wetsuit on and get paddling !

Meeting up at the usual location late afternoon we make our way to get kitted out with wetsuits, great in the 35degrees of heat, we then head oof by truck down to the lake to set up on the floating hide, basically the hide has two side floats with a gimbal mount on the front and a pull over cover. Any items like batteries etc can be kept in a water proof container.

Once setup you wade into the water pushing the hide to move forward, great if you can feel the bottom as sometimes you don't and one of the reasons it's only available in summer when the water levels are lower.

Your tactics can vary, slowly mover around the lake looking for suitable subjects, or you can just sit and wait to see what comes your way.

Shelduck

There were a few Shelduck around some with young, what strikes me is they all look a bedraggled.

Black-necked Grebe

One of the first birds you'll see are Black-necked Grebe's, there must be a hundreds or more, many at this time of year sat on nests amongst the protection of the Black-headed Gull colony's, when a predator appears the gulls take to the air on mass noisy mobbing the predator, usually a Marsh Harrier to send packing.

Move slowly and the grebes will approach as close as 2.0m.

White-headed Duck

On the other hand these ducks are really skittish and difficult to approach.

Little Egret

Last Day Before The Storm

Cabo de Palos / Los Urrutias - 29.1.19

I'm coming to the end of my Murcia trip and I thought I'd have one last visit over to Cabo de Palos to try and improve on the images of the rare for the area the Brown-necked Raven, but on route its always worth calling in to Los Urrutias on the Mar Menor as its a wader hot spot and anything can turn up. I'd also like to re-photograph the Little Egret if still present, as the light on my last visit was grey and overcast resulting in some poor flat images.

As I'm on route to Cabo de Palos and it's still morning this is a bit of rece visit, the Little Egret is still present so with a little luck will be here later, possibly even some waders that may drop in later in the day..fingers crossed.

Now late afternoon the low sun is right behind producing some great light on to the sea, the Egret is fishing right near the shore line, there's some good images to be had, all I need is to improve as a bird photographer !

Little Egret

Greenshank

The light is changing somewhat, sometimes good sometimes not so good but as its windless I manage to get some reflection shots, the image below being one of my favourites.

In this image as in the image of the Little Egret the Greenshank has caught a Pipefish, it struggled with it initially taking it to the waters edge to finally swallow

BirdGuides "Notable Image" 6-12th February, 2019. see link.....

https://www.birdguides.com/articles/photo-of-the-week-6-12-february/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter130219&eid=594937&_ccCt=5ULMB15BjDA0fidwZP_VA_1Q1EwkcsVmFQ1au0H56uLvTLwPRZWOLd%7egqpRqXqVn

There were two Greenshanks during my visit occasionally coming together, and very occasionally after a long wait coming together in the same shot.

Heading South

Los Urrutias, Mar Menor - 21.1.19

On my way to Cabo de Palos to see the Brown-neck Raven I'm stopping off at a new location at Urrutias Port to see if I can photograph a Great White Egret that's been present in the area for some time. located on the south end of the Mar Menor the area in front of small port has a small expanse of weed and mud that can attract birds such as waders, terns, herons and egrets, and as a bonus you can do all your viewing by remaining in your car using it as a mobile hide.

On arrival a quick scan I quickly pick out about thirty noisy Gull Bill Terns fishing in the clear blue water further out, also present are numerous Slender Billed and the ever noisy Black Headed Gulls. Further down the coast line and quite close to the shore edge a single Little Egret and a Great Egret are busy fishing for the abundant shrimps along the weed line, exactly what I've come to see.

Moving the car slowly opposite each egret in turn I spend the next hour or so getting some great images in some lovely low sunlight directly behind, happy with efforts I move on and see what else is about.

Back near the port entrance I locate a Greenshank flying low up the coast line and it very obligingly lands opposite the car....this is turning out to be a super site ! The wader takes some time out from its activities and rests standing on one leg and tucking its with bill under one wing, occasionally workmen repairing a nearby road startle the wader jumping to attention giving some alternative image poses.

Now having spent around two hours enjoying shooting some nice images its time to continue my journey to Cabo de Palos, a tip to anyone visiting this location the afternoon is by far the better time to visit when the sun angle will be directly behind the shooter facing the sea.

Club Regatas & Marina

Looking South

Great Egret

Little Egret

Greenshank

Day Out at RSPB Leighton Moss

RSPB Leighton Moss - 5.9.18

This morning I'm heading up the M6 to RSPB Leighton Moss Reserve, a mixture of managed reed fringed wet lands amongst the countryside just west of the small village of Yealand Redmayne and further west an area of salt marsh on the edge of Morecambe Bay.

Leighton Moss has changed massively in the thirty years since my first visit, in the early days where once you would visit a caravan to access the reserve, now has some impressive facilities including disability facilities, shop, cafeteria, toilets, carpark and a range of modern hides.

One of my favourite locations is the salt marsh, not as "managed" as the rest of the reserve it mainly attracts geese, waders with the occasionatal visiting bird of prey such as Peregrine and Sparrowhawk looking to grab an unsuspecting wader, but anyone visiting the salt marsh hides is advised to arrive early as the sun angle swings around after about 11.0 am making it difficult for photography and bird identification in good light.

Arriving later than intended my first stop is the Allen Hide, quick scan I pick up a few hundred Redshank, maybe five Greenshank, three Godwits, Little Egret and a solitary Dunlin, then with it's flappy flight a Sparrowhawk sends panic amongst the waders all disappearing to other parts of the marsh, time to move on before the sun swings round.

At the Eric Morecambe hide there are already few already birders already enjoying their current stressless occupation not having to work. The best location in this hide for light is always the right side, Redshank probably about a hundred are resting and I try to pick out an unusual shot but opportunities are few, then there's panic again, this time a female Peregrine tries unsuccessfully to grab a wader scattering all this time on to the main reserve.

Now early afternoon in some great weather I'm going to give the popular Causeway hide a visit, stopping on the way at the Bearded Tit feeding trays I not the reserve have been busy building a new viewing platform. The Causeway hide is chocka..not even one seat, eventually it's my turn.

Two Great Egrets are flying towards me with a Grey Heron in hot pursuit intending in seeing off the egrets, it's all action for ten minuets with the egrets determined to land and the heron equally determined to ensure there's no completion on it's patch, I grab  some images but as usual the camera struggles to lock on preferring the background as a subject....dose anyone have some good flight settings for Canon?

It's now late afternoon and although I didn't get the wader images I was after I've have enjoyed my day, it seem's a lot of other people have also I never seen the reserve so busy, and it's a week day !

Redshank

Black Tailed Godwit

Little Egret doing some maintenance.

Great Egret

Great Egret..."incoming"

Greenshank in flight, this image would have been a lot better if the water had been as calm as it was earlier in the morning, I'm also a little late on the shot.