A Rarity

 

I spent a couple of hours at Burton Mere RSPB reserve today and I was thrilled to get my first ever sighting of an incredibly rare bird. In 1997 there were just 11 male birds in the UK and the species was on the verge of extinction but due to significant conservation efforts they are back from the brink; last year 198 male birds were recorded across 89 sites in the UK. Despite the growing numbers they are still very rare and understandably news of its sighting at Burton Mere had drawn something of a crowd. 

I really struggled to see it and needed a fellow photographer to point me in the right direction. Looking at the top image can you see what it is? Can you even see it?

To make things easier I have cropped the image, so take a closer look below...

Even cropped it is hard to spot the beautifully camouflaged Bittern. I know its not the best shot but it really was a long way off and it it is so well hidden it was the best I could do and I have to say I was totally chuffed to see such a rare bird, for the very first time.

Rare Breed

Canon 24 - 105 mm 1:4L

ISO 200  105mm  F/10  1/100 sec

ISO 200  105mm  F/10   1/100 sec

ISO 100   105mm   F/8.0   1/250 sec

The bird in the third picture today is an Eider Duck and I spotted him sitting enjoying a quiet moment in the shade of some tress near a small ornamental lake. He has really beautiful markings and the pattern on his back in some way reflects the dappled shadows on the ground int he background.

The bird in the first two images is a Scania Goose and it is a rare breed native to Sweden. It is a hardy breed derived from the Greylag Goose and is able to tolerate the climate in Southern Sweden throughout the year. It really is quite rare however with only 172 being registered in Sweden in 2011 (according to Wikipedia) and I don't know whether that number has increased or decreased since that time.

This particular specimen was part of a small flock in the Slottsskogen park in Gothenburg. Apparently these birds can get quite large, too heavy in fact to fly. I think they are quite a pretty bird and I particularly like to confident pose in the second picture.

Rare Beauty

I have been on a bit of a mission recently; to get a good shot of a Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis).

I was lucky to see one at Burton Mere earlier this week but it was too far away to get a shot so today I went to Mere Sands Nature Reserve where this little chap is often spotted. I have seen it a couple of times but I have only been able to photograph it once before.

Today it settled for less than 10 seconds on this small branch. As you can see from the first image it was quite a way off and hard to spot between the reeds so getting a clear shot was out of the question. Nevertheless I was thrilled to get any sort of image and happy to share it here. I will keep on trying and one day I am sure I will get the perfect shot.

There is something really special about these birds and it is always a thrill to see them. They are quite rare in the UK with between 3,800 and 4,400 breeding pairs spread throughout the whole of the UK (source RSPB) so any sighting however brief is definitely a treat.

From the Tropical Realm

This Java Sparrow is one of the many free flying birds in Chester Zoo's tropical realm. It has such a cute face and it perched fearlessly on this stem while I took its portrait.