Welney WWT on a Grey Day

Some images taken at Welney on a very grey misty day on Saturday. I enjoyed trying to portray the flooded Ouse Washes with ducks (Pochard, Mallard), Geese, Lapwings and Whooper Swans.

Lady Fen Welney Sightings

A very enjoyable day at Welney yesterday in the company of RPS Nature group members and volunteers from Paxton Pits. The dull light all day did not lend itself to distant photography but I enjoyed the challenge of finding and capturing the variety of wildlife on Lady Fen in the fenland landscape. The first Short-eared Owl took us by surprise as it flew close and over the bank. Other views were more distant. In the afternoon Steve located a Hare in its 'form' - amazingly camouflaged - just the eye giving it away. Good to get some closer photography of the Tree and House sparrows and Stonechat. Three species of Egret (Cattle, Great and Little), two deer species (Roe and Chinese Water), Heron and Kestrel completed the roll call

Wicken Fen in Soft light

Perfect weather for getting the feel of Fenland in winter with the Konig Ponies and Roe Deer blending so well with the soft colours while the Marsh Harrier looked very much at home quartering the reeds. Unfortunately there was a definite lack of close birds and the hoped for Owls and other predators did not fly for us. However, the RPS Nature Group members  and Paxton volunteers were great company for the day.

Toft Logs - Minifungi etc

Today was the first day for a while that the garden log pile was thawed enough to see what new minilife had errupted. The first 4 images are small fungal species, tentatively identified as Episphaeria fraxinicola, Henningsomyces candidus and Mollisia cinerea (Grey Disco). The Slimemould is a Hemitrichia species and the final image shows a Beetle larva on an Orange Jelly fungus.

Frosty Toft Golf Course Walk

A few images from the very frosty dawn on January 11th - I was surprised to find so many golfers out on the course - frost must make it difficult to find the ball! Back in the early 70s, when this area was rough pasture, we once ringed 10 different Kingfishers in one day on this stretch of the stream during a similar cold period (thought to be on the move towards the coast following streams etc). I intended to walk further up over the fields towards Wimpole Estate you can see in the distance in the panorama but decided on breakfast instead!!