Swan feed, at the WWT Welney

This weekend, I was back in Cambridgeshire visiting family.  While I was there, I took a trip to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Welney to experience one of their winter swan feeds.

Each winter thousands of swans and migratory ducks flock to the Ouse washes from their breeding grounds in Iceland and Arctic Russia for winter.  To help them out, the WWT provides daily feeds to boost their own foraging and it's quite a spectacle.

At the last count, taken on the 18th December, there were; 1075 Bewick swans and 2427 Whooper swans, not to mention nearly 8000 Widgeon, over 1000 Mallard, over 500 Teal, nearly 500 Pochard and over 300 Tufted Ducks, amongst many other species of water fowl.

We arrived around 30 mutes before the feed and were met with a large amount of Whoopers and a few Mallard mixing with the Pochards, Mallards and Teals in front of the observatory.

There were a large amount of young swans, which is one of the beautiful things about the experience; the family groups of swans returning to Welney with their new brood of signets.

After a brief introduction by one of Welney's wardens, giving some background as to why there are so many swans and waterfowl returning to the reserve, the feed started.  And, in all honesty, the birds went a little crazy.

Thousands of birds appeared in front of the observatory taking full advantage of the free food and, with it, out went any pleasantries and manners.  If any birds got too close, they soon knew about it.



The water was soon turned to a jacuzzi as ducks, swans, pochards and teal all fought to get at the feed.

While the swans had the advantage of their long necks, the other fowl has to make do with furiously kicking their legs to get at the rapidly sinking pellets.

Once all of the feed had sunk to the bottom, it was left to the swans to pick up the leftovers.

It was a great experience and I will definitely be returning in the new year.  Hopefully when the waters which covered the Ouse wash had receded somewhat.

Snettisham in winter - a cold, early start...

Back in February, I made the trip to the RSPB nature reserve at Snettisham, Norfolk, to see the wader spectacular.  This is when a spring tide forces the many thousands of waders, here on migration, towards the shoreline, offering twichers and photographers alike unprecedented views of their morning flights.

Leaving my bed at 5am was not my favourite part of the day by a long shot and, when we arrived, it was still very much dawn and was very cold to boot, at around -11.

Arriving early ensures you see the birds waking up, including the flocks of pink-footed geese flying from their night-time roosts in the Wash, to their sugar beet feeding grounds inland.  It also rewards you with, if you're luck's in, some gorgeous views of the sun rising.

As always, the pink-footed geese put on a spectacle...

... and on this particular day, there were plenty of other like-minded folk to watch.

Once the sun was well on its way, the waders awoke and began to perform for the crowds.  It's always such an amazing sight to see so many birds flying in formation, changing their shape in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, after only a couple of hours, fog began to roll in off the sea which essentially put an end to any landscape photography involving flying waders.  There were, however, snow buntings flitting around, which began to feed on the shoreline.  The change in subject prompted me to begin thinking more about the composition of the photo, rather than just focussing on the subject and snapping away.  I began experimenting by lying on the floor (in the snow) to be at their level, as well as using shallow depth of field.  I'm very pleased with the results and I will definitely continue to play around with this.

My wildlife spotter (aka, my girlfriend) managed to spot this red knot lying quietly next to the path.  I think it must have thought that it was well blended in to its background which, if it wasn't for the snow, it probably would have been.  I sat perfectly still, allowing me to take some shots.

On our way back to the car, by this stage dreaming of the warmth it offered, I spotted this female blackbird rooting around in the undergrowth.  Again, she was very calm and posed nicely for this photo.

After finishing at Snettisham, we drove to North Creake on the hunt for barn owls, as I'd kind of promised my girlfriend that we would find some.  Unfortunately, that didn't work out as planned, but we did see a few buzzards soaring overhead.

And finally we spotted a mistle thrush sitting quietly on a telephone line, a first time spot for me.

A cold, grey day at the wetlands centre

Last weekend I spent a couple of hours at the Wildfowl & Wetlands centre, secretly hoping to capture that once in a lifetime shot of the recently returned Bittern. Sadly, on that day, it was not to be.



I was also hoping to see some of the birds currently migrating over London. Again, this was not meant to be.



Still, it's always nice to wander around the centre, even on an over-cast and slightly drizzly day.

There were still plenty of wildfowl around to see and snap.



There will be other days, better light and more birds.



Still, I'm happy with the few shots I did get.

Les Petits Moulins, St Estephe, France - Absolute heaven!

My girlfriend and I have just returned from a great week in France. We were staying with Kelly's aunt and uncle, Tracy and Don Neal, at their house and holiday gite, Les Petits Moulins, the latter being available to rent. Set in the heart of Parc naturel régional Périgord Limousin, Les Petit Moulins is a little hamlet, just outside the village of Saint Estephe, about a 1 hour journey from Limoges, where the nearest airport is situated.



The hamlet of Les Petits Moulins is a collection of four water mills which, in their day, milled flour and walnut oil. From the garden there is a great view of the St. Estephe and yes, that is a swimming pool in the photo below, which is yours when you book the gite. For me, this place was absolute heaven; in the middle of a national park, surrounded by animals and more photographic opportunities than one could ever wish for.



Without even mentioning the wild fauna, which I cover in subsequent posts, Tracy and Don have a menagerie of animals, all very friendly, all milling (no pun intended) about the property.

First are their three dogs which will no doubt welcome you to the property. If you do ever stay here, and have a few spare hours, you might want to think about playing fetch with Thornton, one of their Dachshunds. Once you start, he will expect you to continue until he's ready to stop, with him regularly prompting you to throw his ball again.



Next up are the chickens. I should probably have researched the different breeds but, well, I didn't. I was too distracted by everything else going on, sorry.





Then there are the ducks and geese you will see wandering around the garden.





This is Antoinette. She's a gorgeous young duck saved from a French market and is to be found messing around in the garden, enjoying the tubs of water she finds, making everyone chuckle at her drinking technique.





A couple of the other stand out characters are Blush and her surrogate child, whose name escapes me. Blush's own brood unfortunately died whilst very young so she became the surrogate to another and they are inseparable. Not withstanding the fact that her child is a completely different breed, they still go everywhere together and love to laze around the pool, much to Don's dismay.



This is Blush...



... and this is her child.



And this is what Don doesn't want to see; those two enjoying the pool (notably only with the cover on, which I found a bit strange for a pair of ducks).



You might also get welcomed by two of the geese, Lou-Lou and Bow. Born and bred at the house, they are very much part of the family and sometimes, when the gate isn't shut, they even manage to sneak into the house when no one's watching.



Tracy and Don's latest addition to the flock are two pigs, Bakewell and Buxton. Full of character, these two can be hand fed and even made to sit before they take their food.









There are also cats; two domesticated, Merlot and Frank, and one semi-wild cat. Soon after Tracy and Don moved into the property a cat appeared in the garden which, as they later found out, was sleeping in the roof of one of the barns. Having now become accustomed to Tracy and Don, she will come into the house to have some food and warmth. This is very much on her terms, however, and she is definitely not a cuddly cat; hence her name, Hissy!



Tracy is heavily involved in wildlife rescue and regularly takes in sick and injured animals, helping them back to health and re-releasing them into the wild wherever possible. One of the current animals is a hedgehog which is thought to have been hit by a car and lost its sight.  Unfortunately it will never be able to be released. Still, he looked very happy when he was in the kitchen munching on some leftover chicken he was given.  Previous tenants have included two Tawny Owls and a Little Owl, all now successfully re-released into the wild.



Personally, I think I've saved the best for last. This is the one animal I knew Tracy had and the one I was most keen to meet; a Barn Owl called Lunar. Orphaned and raised by Tracy since a chick, Lunar now lives in an aviary in the garden as she would be unlikely to survive if released. She seems very happy about it too, especially at feeding time.

Kelly was also pretty pleased to meet her as well.

Each evening we were able to sit out in the garden and watch a couple of Lunar's wild Barn Owl friends coming to say hello. You will definitely hear them coming and hopefully, when we go back, there will be a breeding pair in the barn they were checking out.



The property backs onto protected woods, with a myriad of pathways, wooden bridges and granite boulders, including Roc Branlant which, although weighing many tonnes, can be rocked by a persons hand.



With south and west facing aspects to the garden, we were treated to sunny days and beautiful, constantly changing sunsets.