The American Ring-billed gull

Ceredigion Bird blog has been reporting this bird consistently but I have not manged to see it recently. On Saturday morning we parked near the Station Road entrance to the Teifi Marshes reserve and went into Cardigan shopping. On the way back, just after the old bridge we looked at this gull - only about 5 metres away - and I recognised it as the ring billed gull - but no camera! On Sunday I took the camera to look for it again. There was no sign of a gull, but as I was giving up a gull flew up the river, turned round at the new bridge and came back down and landed on the other side of the river. It was the ring billed gull. Waited some time for it to cross the river and come a bit closer. Managed this flight shot:

Taken with my Canon 500mm lens 1.4 extender, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/800sec. (Handheld as I had not been to get my tripod at this time).

And this closer image:

Same kit but with tripod ISO1000 f8 @ 1/2500sec.

After a quick look at the Curlew Hide we returned to the car and heard a bird singing in a bush alongside the river:

Again same kit f8@ 1/500sec. hand held.

A cold day at Ynyshir

Friday looked like a nice day so we decided to go up to Ynyshir RSPB. At first we saw very few birds - nothing but Canada Geese out on the Saltings and nothing from Marian Mawr Hide. Domen Las Hide at least had some birds swimming on the river and in time produced a few good birds:

A bullfinch:

 A dunnock flying with the bullfinch:

A female Goosander:

And last a 'funny looking' cormorant. I could see that it was a cormorant but it still puzzled me so I sought the advice of experts. Arfon said that it was a 'photograph of continental race of Cormorant (sinensis). The clinching id feature is the gular angle - the shape of skin behind the bill. This race has become increasingly common in recent years and there are now a large number of inland breeding colonies in the UK.' I assume it is of a male in breeding plumage:

All taken with my Canon 500mm lens with 1.4 converter ISO1000 f8 at between 1/1250 and 1/2500sec.

Glossy Ibis in Pembrokeshire

Over the last week or so Pembrokeshire seems to have become the centre for glossy ibis. There have been three regular birds in various positions near Marloes for over a week. A few days ago these were joined by two more in the St. Davids area. Then two days ago a flock of 23 were seen flying over near Carew. For the full story look at the Pembrokeshire Birds blog.
On Wednesday we decided to have a look for ourselves and went down to Marloes. The three birds were there alongside the road in the 'alternative' site marked in the Pembrokeshire blog. The only problem I had was that I was photographing straight into the sun - so here is one of my efforts:



Taken with my Canon 500mm lens - no converter / extender - ISO1600 (why?) f8 @ 1/1250sec.

Little Grebe at the Kingfisher Hide

This is a quiet time for birds in this part of the Teifi so I was pleased to see a little grebe in the pond at the Kingfisher Hide, Teifi Marshes. When we got there the little grebe was in the far left distance but after some time it rushed straight for the hide:

It then started feeding with periodic dives and in the end I managed a closer image:



Redshank at the Webley

Grey plover still present at the Webley at high tide with twenty or so dunlin. In addition there are a couple of redshank showing every now and then. Here is an image of one of them:

Taken with my usual kit ISO1000, f8 @ 1/1600sec.

Grey Plover on the Teifi

Christmas and the New Year has not produced weather that I like for taking photographs of birds so this afternoon when the sun shone for a couple of hours I went out to take some photographs. I had read on the Pembrokeshire Bird Blog that there was a Grey Plover on the Teifi in front of the Webley Hotel so that is where we went. Managed several shots - this is one of the best:

Taken with the Canon 500mm lens with 1.4 converter, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/2,500sec



Cormorant on the Teifi

Not put up anything on the blog for a bit so here goes - a cormorant. We were in the Curlew Hide at Teifi Marshes, not much happening and then this cormorant came fishing just in front of the hide. Managed about 5 shots - this is the best:

Taken with 500mm lens and 1.4 converter, ISO1000 f8 @ 1/1,250sec.