I Love the Avant Garde

 I will come back to ducks in my next post but today I wanted to share a quite remarkable and very stylish seabird.

This bird is from Pacific coast of Chile, Ecuador and Peru but has been found in Hawaii and parts of Central America. Its numbers are declining to the point that its conservation status is "near threatened". 

The Inca Tern is mostly dark coloured, which is unique among Terns, and as you can see from these photos as well as its silky slate grey/black plumage it has a bright red bill with vivid yellow accents. But most striking is the Daliesque moustache comprised of long white satiny feathers. They make a mewing sound a bit like a kitten so we could say these birds are the cats whiskers (sorry).

Their food is mainly small fish and crustaceans but they will also eat offal and carrion, so not too picky. They can feed in flocks of up to 5000 birds and will follow fishing boats or pods of whales/dolphins.

These pictures were taken at Martin Mere where there are several of these beautiful birds in an aviary. They are a joy to watch in flight, however since these images were shot through netting capturing a decent photo in flight wasn't really possible.

Tufty

 Here are a couple of species of duck. There are lots of different species of duck around the world. Here in the UK most people will be familiar with the Mallard which are quite common and I sometimes feel they are easily overlooked, and because ducks are everywhere all species can be lumped in together "as just another duck". To do so is to a massive disservice to the many beautiful variations which have interesting habits.

The images below show male and female Red Crested Pochard. The male is the more colourful specimen and in the portrait image he reminds me of a comedienne and TV presenter, I cant explain why and I wont say who (so that comment is probably pointless but it will serve as a reminder to me when I look back at this post in future). Anyway this is a diving duck which feeds on vegetation and is a resident of southern Europe and central Asia.

The other species is a Patagonian Crested Duck, a dabbling feeder from Patagonia so Chile and Peru and Argentina, as well as the Falkland Islands. They are the most common duck species in that area but they do not flock together, rather they stay in pairs and are quite territorial. Their main foods are macroinvertebrates like zooplankton and clams but also kelp. the bird in this image is a male and he has a very handsome crest. I also really like his mottled plumage.

Elegance in Black and White

My second outing of the year was another trip to Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetland Centre in Lancashire. This time however I had a couple of my grandchildren with me and so I didn't expect to get that many photos. Much to my surprise though, I took just shy of 140 shots while my eldest grandson also managed to take lots of pictures with his own mini digital camera. It was such a lot of fun.

As well as the birds out on the mere we also went around the collection of more "exotic" species and so I have a nice mix of birds to share, when I get round to editing all of the pictures and sorting out the ones worth posting.

Today here are some shots of a Whooper Swan and Black Swan, you will be able to work out which one is which...

The Whooper Swan is a winter visitor which comes down from its breeding grounds in Iceland. They are so elegant and normally as they swim around they hold their necks straight. In these images the bird has been feeding hence its curved neck. They are an Amber Listed species in terms of their conservation status and they are a Schedule 1 listed bird which means it is illegal to disturb them. They are regular winter visitors to Martin Mere.

The Black Swan is a native of Australia but it is now thriving in New Zealand and in the UK. Their plumage is entirely black except for some flight feathers which are white.

My favourite image today is the second one which is a much softer image as a result of reducing texture and clarity and adding a slight vignette giving a slightly dreamy quality which enhances the elegance of this beautiful bird.

Did You Get My Best Side

 My first post for 2026, and the first in some time is from my first foray with my camera in quite a while too.

Even though I am retired life is still very busy and finding the time for hobbies can be difficult, and at this time of year when the weather is colder, my bones are creakier, and the light is less predictable getting out for a spot of photography is a challenge.

All of today's shots are from Martin Mere Wetland Centre from 14th January. It was a really cold day and the light conditions were changeable most of these images were shot with a high ISO (as much as 12800) so I have had to a little work to reduce the noise. I think they have mostly turned out alright. 

    Male Pochard

    Male Pintail

    Black Tailed Godwit

    That Pintail again...

    Male Reed Bunting, coming in to land

    Reed Bunting, about to take off...

    

     Male Greenfinch

    Male leucistic Reed Bunting with a chaffinch looking on

    Launch time for a male chaffinch 

    One of my favourite birds, a Long-tailed Tit. Did you know that these are truly social birds, over 50% of their nests have non-parent birds assisting with raising the chicks. Wonderful little things.