Toft Sunrise and Frosty Wood

Sometimes we just have to rejoice in the good things in life like having sheep to talk to and a great sunrise. Yesterday was a clear sunny day from dawn to dusk. I spent the morning in Hardwick Wood which looked magical with the frost and clear light; occasionally spooky and certainly our very large golden retriever was very apprehensive about the Muntjac deer barking and the Buzzards mewing very loudly in the wood.

Welney: Barn Owls

We spent the afternoon at Welney with the Barn Owl(s) - there are several pairs roosting around Lady fen so a good chance of seeing them out hunting in the daylight. Not technically good images as at a distance for my lens but hopefully gives the feel of these wonderful birds on a sunlit afternoon. The last two were taken into the low sun and show a successful catch which the owl managed to get back to its barn despite three 'pirating' kestrels.

Welney Morning Birds

We spent the rest of Sunday morning (after a breakfast in the cafe!!), general bird watching and 'snapping' on the main reserve so here a flavour of the session and including Cattle Egret and ?Chiffchaff (a pair were flitting in the bushes - presumably overwintered in UK).

Welney - Moon Set, Sun Rise

Members of the RPS Nature Group attended the Swans Awake event at Welney WWT yesterday and witnessed the setting of the full moon as the sun rose to give us a bright clear day for the rest of our time at the reserve. Here a few images to give the atmosphere; unfortunately the wind direction meant the swans departed away from us except for a few groups. The Barn owl over the bank was a great addition and later would become the focus of our photography. 

Wicken Fen with RPS Nature Group

A dull grey day on Saturday made photography difficult with high iso requiring noise reduction. The star was definitely the Little Owl pair. It was also good to see a tree creeper and, of course, the roe Deer and Konig ponies.