Soft Light at the Pits

Images taken on Saturday in misty but bright conditions at Paxton Pits showing beautiful muted autumn colours across Heronry Lake and a variety of water birds including a Scaup that was in with the Tufted Ducks, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebes, Shovellers, Widgeon and Egret.

 

Paxton Miscellany

A warm sunny day for a walk at Paxton Pits hoping for lots of interesting subjects to watch, identify and photograph but wildlife was in very short supply, we are presuming as a result of the long drought conditions. There are still Common Darters on the wing, a very few butterflies all looking rather tatty (single Common Blue, Small White, Small Copper, Speckled Wood and Red Admiral), abundant Ivy Bees wherever the Ivy is in flower and a Kite-tailed Robberfly. From one of the Hides, the young Great Crested grebes are catching fish for themselves now.

Paxton on a Sunny Afternoon

Amazing where three hours can go sitting in a hide overlooking water! I was entertained by hunting Norfolk Hawkers and by many familiar subjects, including Great Crested Grebes sitting on a new nest having we think lost all three chicks at quite a mature stage to the Cormorants, several Egrets and one of the three Heron Chicks now confidently fishing along the margins of the Lake. 

Great Crested Grebe Spring Display

The Great Crested Grebes at Paxton put on a full display this morning though a distance away right in the middle of the lake so not good detail! I particularly like the part of the dance where they stand vertically treading water and rotating together. These are consecutive frames (click in the photos to move through).