Red-throated Diver at the flag poles Goodwich on Thursday 30th. December

Goint down to Haverfordwest for some shopping we decided to go through Newport & Fishguard as there had been reports of a blacknecked grebe at Goodwick. Did not see the grebe but saw this rather fine diver instead:

Taken with my Canon 500mm lens, 1.4 converter ISO1000 f8 @ 1/2000sec.

Song thrush at the Creek Hide on Wednesday 22nd. December

Again not many birds around and the creek area very frozen except for a small area of running water. This bird landed on one of the branches stuck in the mud. It's identity puzzled me - in the end I had to ask for help from Wendy & Richard. They identified it as a song thrush:

All taken with my usual kit ISO1000 f8 @ 1/800sec.

Meadow Pipit at the Creek Hide on Saturday 18th. December

Creek Hide at the Teifi Marshes frozen over except for some running water in the creek itself. Very few birds around just saw this meadow pipit:

Taken with my usual kit of Canon 500mm lens with 1.4 converter, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/500sec.

Fox at the Kingfisher hide on Wednesday 8th. December

We were sitting in the Kingfisher Hide at Teifi Marshes thinking that with the hard frost the water was all frozen solid, so there was little or no likelyhood of any birds showing when we heard the squeal of a water rail. Soon afterwards what appeared was not the expected water rail (unfortunately) but this magnificent fox.

Nadolig Llawen

This robin was photographed on Sunday 5th. December at Teifi Marshes - near the car park. Looks like snow but was in fact a hard frost.

Marsh tit near the car park at Teifi Marshes on Sunday 5th. December

This was one of three willow/marsh tits that we saw between the car park and the centre at Teifi Marshes.

Taken with 1.4 converted on my 500mm lens, 1000ISO f8 @ 1/200sec.

Snipe in the field behind our garden Monday 29th. November

This Snipe was feeding in the filed. It was present again on the Tuesday with two others - managed a few shots but they were further away.

Taken with 500mm lens with 1.4 converter, ISO1000 f5.6 @ 1/4000sec.

Starlings - Friday 26th. Nov. / Saturday 27th.

I have been looking out for starling roosts for some time. Last week we went down to Plumstone Mountain near Haverfordwest to look at the one there. Unfortunatley from where we looked - the top of the 'mountain' the starlings were coming in low over the land and going straight down to the trees where they were roosting. No chance of 'patterns' in the sky.

In Teifi Marshes John Thomas showed me some video he had taken on Tuesday morning - a large roost of starling in the reeds. The weather during the week was not great so it took until Friday for me to get out and look for the starlings. John had told me that the roost was in the reeds between the dipping pond and kingfisher hide. When we got there about 4pm we could hear the starlings but they seemed to be collecting in front of the kingfisher hide. No great patterns in the sky - where are the raptors when you want them? This is the best I got at that time:

My Canon 50D with mini xoom 17-85mm at 17mm - ISO100 f4 @ 1/25sec.
It was beginning to look like the roost was in front of the kingfisher hide so we went down there and all the trees around the pond were covered with starlings:

Same zoom lens this time at 85mm - ISO100 f5.6 @ 1sec. Did not use tripod, just resting on the shelf in the hide so there is some camera shake.

All of a sudden all the birds took off and made for the reeds to roost. Decided to come back in the morning to see them take off. So this is them taking off about 7.45am. Just a straight shot - I would like to play about with shutter speeds etc to get more movement, but the battery packed up so I was pushed to take any shots:

Same camera and mini zoom at 17mm, ISO1000 f5.6 @ 1/60sec.

Snow Buntings (Ynyslas) taken on Monday 15th. November

After some information from Wendy, Jen and I decided to go up to Ynyslas as there was a report on the Ceredigion Bird blog about some Snow Bunting in a car park there. At first we did not see any birds, but about ten minutes after we arrived another car came in to the car park and the driver started throwing seeds down on the ground. We went over to him and set up the camera - there were 3 snow bunting eating away - 2 male and 1 female. Here are two of the photographs I took:

This is one of the two males, taken with my Canon 500mm lens, 1.4 converter, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/3,200sec.

This is the female - taken with exactly the same kit and settings except that the exposure was 1/4,000sec.

Otters on the Teifi taken on Wednesday 3rd. November

Yesterday (Tuesday) while volunteering at Teifi Marshes I saw a male otter and then a female otter with two cubs. Naturally at the time I did not have my camera with me. Today I went again - with camera - and managed the following:

Very poor lighting conditions! Both photographs taken with Canon 500mm lens with 1.4 converter, ISO1000 f5.6 @ 1/1000sec. - both about a stop under-exposed.

Bittern (Teifi Marshes) taken on Thursday 21st. October

After sitting for a couple of hours at the Kingfisher hide we were preparing to pack up as the light was not good. Jen quietly mentioned that there was a bittern sitting to the far right of the hide. Wow - our first bittern of the season - in fact it seems to be the first for Pembrokeshire.

This was the best view I have ever had of a bittern. It stayed in this position for about 5 minutes and then walked across the clearing to the reeds on the other side.

Photograph taken with my Canon 400 f5.6 lens, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/250sec.

Squacco Heron (Angle) taken on Saturday 16th. October

Pembrokeshire Birds Blog was showing a Squacco Heron down in Angle, South Pembs. for a few days, but the light had not been good so I had not thought it worthwhile to travel down there. On Saturday the light was good so took the opportunity to go down. This is one of many shots I managed of this rare heron:

I did not have my 500mm lens so this was taken with my Canon 400mm f5.6 lens - ISO1000 f8 @ 1/4000sec.

Snipe (RSPB Conway) taken on Sunday 10th. October

This photograph of a Snipe was taken at RSPB Conway while we were up in North Wales for a few days:

Photo taken with my usual kit ISO1000, f8 @ 1/2000sec.

Kingfisher (Teifi Marshes) taken on Sunday 3rd. October

A kingfisher comes to the kingfisher hide at the Teifi Marshes, Cilgerran more regularly these days but not often on convenient perches for photographing. This one came very close but had backlighting - managed to get this image - with some adjustments!

Taken with 500mm lens, f8 @ 1/1000sec.

Godwits (WWT Llanelli) taken on Saturday 11th. September

In the afternoon we went to Penclacwydd - WWT Llanelli. The light was very poor. We decided that the Boardwalk hide would be our last before going home. While there we saw some redshank, greenshank and some black-tailed godwits. While we were there a large flock of godwits passed and landed in front of the Observatory. Decided to go there and went into the left hand hide. Managed this shot when they took off:

Taken using my Canon 500mm lens with 1.4 converter. ISO1000 f8@ 1/4000sec.

Photographs taken on Wednesday 8th. September

Down at Patch again in the morning 8.30-9.30 managed a dunlin:

Taken with the 500mm Canon lens, 1.4 converter f8@ 1/3,200sec.

A juvenile wagtail - pied?

with the same equipment f8@ 1/3,200sec.

A juvenile ringed plover:

usual equipment, f8 @ 1/2,500sec.

And in the evening a rather co-operative wheatear:

Usual equipment, f8@ 1/2,500sec.

Sanderling (Patch) taken on Tuesday 7th. September

From reports on the Pembrokeshire Birds blog site it seemed worthwhile to go down to Patch (Gwbert near Cardigan) at or near high tide in the evening. There were reports of little stint, curlew sandpiper, dunlin and ringed plover. The best I managed was of this juvenile sanderling:

Taken with my Canon 500mm lens with 1.4 converter.

Dipper (Llechryd) taken on Thursday 12th. August

My 'bogy' bird - the one I have not managed a decent photograph of, is a dipper. On Thursday we went up to see Helen in Builth Wells. When crossing Llechryd bridge Jen shouted out that there was a dipper in the river. I turned the car round and parked near the bridge - walked down to the riverside just in time to see the dipper fly away. Walked back and fore for about a quarter of an hour - eventually gave up as it was starting to rain. On the way back just by the bridge there was a dipper on a rock. Managed the following shot - not great but by far the best one I have of a dipper.

Photograph taken on Sunday 8th. August

Kingfishers have been fairly rare at the kingfisher hide at the Welsh Wildlife Centre Cilgerran but I managed to get a photograph of this one on a fairly distant perch - I am still waiting for one to land on one of the perches near to the hide. We have cleared away quite a lot of reeds from around the pond so a clear view should be easier for some weeks.

This was taken using my Canon 500mm lens with 1.4 converter, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/1000sec.

Photographs taken on Wednesday 4th. August

These photographs were taken at Ynyshir RSPB reserve. We only had about two hours to spend at the reserve so spent the time in the Northern section - looking out for osprey and hobby. Did not see much in the hides but on the way back from Marian Mawr hide saw:

A great tit and spotted flycatcher on a tree:

Taken with Canon 50D with Canon 500mm lens with 1.4 converter, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/400sec.

Two longtailed tits on a branch:

Taken with same equipment & settings as above.

A nuthatch:

Taken with same equipment & settings above except that shutter speed was 1/1000sec.

Photographs taken on Wednesday 30th. June

Went down to the Gann near Dale but did not see many birds. On the way back called at St. Brides - on the beach saw some small birds flying about. Set up my tripod and waited. In a half hour or so managed the following:

A juvenile pied wagtail:

Using my Canon 500mm f4 lens, 1000ISO f8@ 1/3200sec.

A goldfinch - nice to see one somewhere besides a niger feeder:

Using the same kit ISO1000 f8 @ 1/2500sec.

And several linnets - some bathing in the water:

ISO1000 f8 @ 1/4000sec.

Photographs taken on Friday 25th. June

Went to Dinas RSPB today - near Rhandirmwyn. Saw a treecreeper taking food to young. The 'nest' was in a rotten treestump. The light was very poor, so even with 1000ISO @ f8 I was down to 1/80sec. This is one shot of the bird out in the light:

The other good bird I managed there was this spotted flycatcher feeding young:

Photograph taken on Thursday 17th. June

We are having some work done in our garden - involving heavy machinery like diggers etc. so I thought we would not have any birds or other wildlife for some time. I was wrong. We have had greater spotted woodpeckers - with young:

Blackbirds collecting worms:

Young house sparrows:

Even a Jay - but I failed to get a photograph!


BUT we saw a female red deer in the field at the back of our garden and I did get a photograph:

Photographs taken on Saturday 12th. June

Took a trip up to Carmarthenshire - these photographs were taken at Dynefwr Park near Llandeilo. The first is a song thrush:

Taken with my 500mm lens, ISO1000 f8@ 1/800sec.

The other photograph is of a redstart that kept coming back to this fence post, diving down into the undergrowth for insects and probably taking it back to its young:

Again taken with the same lens, ISO1000 f8@ 1/800sec.

Photographs taken on Thursday 10th. June

We decided to spend a couple of days in Cardiff. On the way to Cardiff we called in on Cosmeston Lakes. My first photograph from here is not of a bird - but a grey squirrel:

Taken with 500mm lens, ISO1000 f8@ 1/80sec.

The following photographs were all taken from the bridge between the lakes:

A coot feeding its young

A pair of Great Crested Grebe:

and a Cormorant:

Photographs taken on Thursday 3rd. June

I have spent many hours waiting and watching at the Kingfisher Hide in the Welsh Wildlife Centre at Cilgerran. Top of my wish list is a kingfisher - a couple of years ago a kingfisher was a fairly common sight but of recent years they have been much more uncommon. I was beginning to think that all the kingfishers had been killed off by the hard winter - BUT I saw this one - even if it was a fairly distant view:

Taken with my 500mm lens, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/2000sec.

Then on the way back to the car park I saw this (young?) white wagtail:

Taken with the same equipment, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/200sec.

Photograph taken on Thursday 20th. May

Lunch time we went down to Patch near Gwbert for a lunch on the 'beach'. There were very few birds about but decided to walk around the spit anyway. I saw this bird hiding in the rocks near the sea. This is the best of the photographs that I managed:

Taken with Canon 500mm lens, ISO1000, f8 @ 1/2000sec. There must have been several wheatears along the beach as I took several shots from different locations and some of them had a much lighter belly than this one.

Photograph taken on Sunday 16th. May

While waiting patiently for a kingfisher at the Kingfisher hide at the Welsh Wildlife Cenre, Cilgerran this male Sparrowhawk perched on 'our' tree. In fact it came twice to the tree in the 2 hours or so that we were there. The grey heron was back there again performing and there were several reed warblers and sedge warblers singing.

Taken with 500mm lens, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/4000sec.