Day at Eldernell

Westward Ho!: Nene Washes sunset

Spent today at Eldernell on the Nene Washes. I've only ever spent a few hours at a time there before, so it was interesting to see what went past over the course of a day. Numerous Marsh Harriers, a pair of Peregrines, two Buzzards and ubiquitous Kestrels were most prominent, but also notable was the number of hirundines (mostly Swallows and House Martins) which passed over, mostly west or south-west.

There were also plenty of Meadow Pipits knocking about and a few Yellow Wagtails, though it's impossible to tell whether they were local breeders or birds just passing through.


Kingfisher perched by Morton's Leam.

We had fun trying some digiscoping in the less-than-ideal conditions - very windy with low, bright sun. Careful twiddling with camera settings was called for.


Kestrel: grainy and blurred but it's just for fun


First time I've attempted to digiscope a bird in flight

The above Kestrel shots aren't exactly works of art, but it's inspired me to have a go again in the future. It is amazing what you can do with a scope and a camera.


A glorious, sunlit evening on the Washes


A thousand Starlings fly in to roost

I cheated with this Starling pic. I mucked around with the Colour Balance in Photoshop; the original background was a muddy grey colour. Now it's a muddy orange instead. The flock was certainly impressive, sweeping round for several minutes before making the decision to dive into the reedbed for the night. A Sparrowhawk passed over seconds after, but he already had a full crop.

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 62 with 16x eyepiece