Welney Wildfowl Trust

The water levels on the Ouse Washes are too high for anywhere other than the main hide to be accessible. This added to the very poor light levels yesterday didn't give a lot of opportunity for photography but I did enjoy these starlings - obviously discussing the state of their world! Very few swans evident at Welney so I went for a drive around Pymore and discovered fields full of very muddy Whoopers!

(Some images are from my rather underpowered not-very-modern camera phone!!

 

Birthday Walk at Paxton

The pits at Paxton were more or less frozen over for our Third Thursday walk at Paxton so all the waterfowl were pushed into the small open areas. Lots of Fieldfare, Wren, Tree Creeper, Green Woodpecker, Single Lapwing, Several Herons and Cormorants completed the walk.

Ducks and Swans at Welney WWT

No visit to Welney can ignore the elegant and noisy Whooper swans and the Scaup made a pleasant change from Mallard and Pochard.

Very Wet Morning at Wicken

Definitely weather for ducks yesterday morning. This teal took flight during one of the lighter showers but the Mallards did not look happy when the rain was at its heaviest. The Coots are already paired off and showing territorial behaviour. The hundreds of Widgeon on the pools were fairly restless giving lovely atmospheric flight images along with Mallards, Mute Swans and Geese.

Welney at 'Sunset'

As often happens, a bank of cloud developed low down so we didn't see the sun actually set but, before it went behind the cloud, the colours were spectacular across the water, varying from golden to deep cyan. Not the best shots technically but it gives an idea of colours.