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.

Something Prehistoric

 

Ok so I know these birds are not prehistoric, they're very much in the here and now (or the there and then when these photos were shot), but I am sure you will agree they do have a prehistoric look.

These are California Brown Pelicans which as their name suggests live in and around California. These were spotted flying and fishing in Monterey bay and Santa Cruz. 

They are known for catching fish by plunge diving, unlike other species of Pelican, and I enjoyed watching them diving headfirst into the water and coming up with  fish. It was very difficult to predict where or when they would dive because they gave no clear indication of when they were going to do it. I managed to ge5t a few shots of the water splashing as they hit the water but none at the critical moment when their beak touched the surface.

I had seen White Pelicans up in Thunder Bay, Ontario one time, swimming along in a flotilla, which was quite impressive but I think watching these in California was quite something.

Both the white and brown variants have suffered somewhat in the past and the white pelican is considered a "threatened species" in Ontario. A major threat in the past was the use of the pesticide DDT that through run off into lakes and rivers entered the food chain. It caused the birds eggs to be very thing and fragile so Pelicans like many other species that fed on fish were badly affected. Happily since the ban on the use of DDT many bird species populations have increased and since 2009 the California Brown Pelican was removed from the federal endangered species list.

Caught Out

 On my way to Santa Cruz one day during my holiday I stopped off at Mount Madonna State Park. I wanted to walk in the redwood forests again before taking a road trip across country. I had paused at a lookout spot to take in the views across the valley over the tops of the trees when all of a sudden this magnificent Turkey Vulture flew into the clearing in front of me. I scrabbled about to change my lens hoping that the vulture would hang around long enough for me to get a few shots. I think that being caught unprepared i didn't get the setting exactly right, a much faster shutter speed that the 1/800 sec that I used would have been preferable but even so I did manage to get some decent shots as the bird swooped and  turned in front and above me before heading off once again in search of food.

These birds were a common sight along the highways in California, presumably attracted by the amount of roadkill. Although they are not particularly pretty birds to look at they certainly play an important role and they look majestic when they're soaring high above on the thermals.

Whenever I travel somewhere new I am always keen to see the different wildlife and on this trip I was treated to some really wonderful sights. I didn't get to photograph them all but I am pretty happy with the results for those that I did. 

If you have enjoyed these then look out for future posts when I will be sharing more from my trip.

Bright Eyes

Well just in case you are wondering, the title of this post does not relate to the famous song written by Mike Batt (of Wombles fame) and performed by Art Garfunkel, and which was used as the theme for the film adaptation of Watership Down. It is about the star of the post, the beautiful Goldeneye. Actually the song Bright Eyes might be better connected to the duck as the lyrics talk about floating on the tide and "bright eyes, burning like fire" which doesn't really apply to rabbits, anyway I digress.

In January a pair of Goldeneye had been spotted on the marine Lake at West Kirby and although I could see them I could not photograph them as they stayed too far out on the lake for me to get a decent shot. At Martin Mere however there are a couple of pairs on one of the ponds and over two visits I managed to get a few shots.

On my most recent visit I was having a chat with one of my sons who expressed his opinion that geese tended to be more interesting and better looking than ducks. I disagreed with this and pointed out a smew which was immediately on hand and also referred him to the Goldeneye which by any assessment is a stunning looking bird.

The male with his bold black and white plumage and vivid yellow eyes is amazing, and even the female which is more understated is still quite beautiful.

They are a diving duck and will disappear beneath the surface in their hunt for food. They have wide tails which you can see in the fourth picture is used to propel them under the water as they dive.

In the final three images I was unsure whether the male was simply taking a drink of water or whether he was displaying to the female (it is spring after all), given that he repeated this action several times I suspect he was showing off.

Looking at those shots I also noticed the ripples in the background which could have easily featured in one of my recent posts, but the focus at the moment is definitely on the wildlife. I have lots more shots of birds from Martin Mere that I will be sharing soon so keep your eyes peeled for my next post.

 

Goosander

After the cool morning shots that I went out to capture (and which you saw in my last post) this was my second objective.

The previous day I had been told that there was a pair of Red-Breasted Merganser on the lake and some Goldeneye and I had even seen this pair of Goosander swimming around so I hoped to get some shots of these and the other species mentioned. As it turned out the Goldeneye were too far out on the lake to get a clear picture and there was no sign of any red-breasted merganser. The Goosander is also known as the common merganser and is larger than the red breasted variety. I do wonder whether someone had confused the two and reported the wrong species or whether I had missed out.

Even so it was nice to watch this pair swimming, and feeding together, they certainly make an elegant couple, and I was pleased to be able to get these shots.

I was interrupted in my efforts by a guy who wanted to talk about a range of topics from cameras to film making, street photography and even revolution. He had some interesting anecdotes and ideas some of which were quite compelling. However, while I might share my thoughts about different things from time to time I will try to avoid making this blog political and keep the focus largely on photography and the images themselves.

Have a great day.

 

Sorry, Not Sorry

 Earlier today I took a walk down to the marine lake at West Kirby, I had seen some male Goosander yesterday but didn't have my camera so went back today in the hope of getting some shots. Unfortunately I was short on time and missed out on that score however I did manage a few nice shots of some Turnstone and a flock of Redshanks roosting on a pontoon. 

I was speaking to a guy who informed me of some other species I might be interested to see but they were further out on the lake and I didn't get to photograph them. He mentioned that a Shag had been spotted and I was fortunate enough to not only see it but to watch it fishing. The water was still and clear so each time it dived I could watch its progress under water and with my grandson along for the walk we enjoyed guessing whether it would come up with a shrimp or fish in its beak.

When asked what this bird was I had told someone it was a cormorant but I believe it is a Shag. The two birds are of course very similar and so although I am sorry for giving misleading info to that passer-by I am not really sorry because they are closely related and at the time we were chatting it was quite a way off, it was only when I saw it close up I realised my error. 

I love the way they swim, almost half submerged and they dive so gracefully, barely breaking the surface. Then when the return to the surface their dark feathers have a beautiful glossy sheen.

Anyway here are a couple of the images I got of the Shag. I will share some photos of the other birds in due course and I will be back by the lake tomorrow to see what is about then, as long as the weather is as forecast.