Divers and Grebes

Not many photos to share from recent trips unfortunately - just a couple of record shots of some rather special birds. The first, a Great Northern Diver from Theale. The bird was some 50m away but still the best views I have had of this species.

This second image is of a Slavonian Grebe at a site near where there was supposed to be a Snow Bunting (but I dipped!). Again a nice bird but too far away, the fencing boundary 15m away from the water's edge didn't help!

I will be having another go at photographing Little Owls this weekend and if I am successful, I will post the photographs next weekend.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Glaucous Gull

It is not very often I dedicate a blog post to one individual bird as I aim to capture a variety of wildlife on each of my photography shoots, however on this occasion I can't resist! For many, gulls are perhaps pests but I have always admired their ability to adapt to an ever humanising world. The Glaucous Gull is a species I have always wanted to see, however they often turn up at unpredictable locations to roost each evening and seemingly disappear during the day. However for the past 3 years a Glaucous Gull has overwintered at Dungeness and I finally got to go and see 'Shorty' (named after his lack of tail when he was first found). I arrived at its favoured location at around 9am and found it fairly easily amongst the other gulls roosting by the beach. At first I was cautious approaching him as I was unsure as to how he would respond, but I needn't have worried as he was possibly the tamest gull present and I was fortunate enough to photograph him for about an hour. Confiding is perhaps an understatement as he casually caught starfish from the shore just metres in front of me. So, onto the photos, below is quite a long series of photos (some of which are very similar) but please let me know in the comment section which is your favourite! (I have numbered them so hopefully that will help!)

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