Weekly highlights - er, a dead Auk?

Last week was pretty quiet.  The camera didn't come out very much, and neither did the birds. The 'Lazy Fox' picture...

....was the EDP Reader Picture Of The Day on Monday.  They don't pay, but with a circulation of 40,000+ I'm not grumbling.

Later in the week, as if to illustrate my earlier point, an Auk turned up in the patch.

Still no Wheatears.

But a consolation of a showy Ringed Plover.

Weekly highlights - winter clings on but spring is sprunging

The Starling murmuration in Norwich continues. Certain vantage points in the city produce some pretty epic views.  

The Heron that has made numerous appearances on this channel and others to which I subscribe was also very obliging during the week...

...so much so that I had to take photos of it's reflection.

The Fox that I have been generously sharing on the interweb recently was also very obliging, although that is a bit of an understatement considering that this image is barely cropped!

Indicators of spring this week. Rock Pipit looking not quite as dull as normal, Linnets singing, Pied Wagtails doing a lot of chasing around at breakneck speed, Black Redstarts, summer plumage Gulls.

And Wheatears.  In the country, the county but not yet in the patch.  But I am ready...

Weekly highlights - Lots of rufous tones and redness.

Started the week looking for Foxes.  Found a Stonechat and utterly forgot all about Foxes.  This is normal, especially with a male bird that is occassionally breaking into song.

Stonechat

Stonechat having a sing

Stonechat looking rather splendid

Looked for Foxes on another day, but instead found that the pair of Ringed Plovers had returned to the Patch. They will nest and produce food for the Foxes soon.

Ringed Plover photos just must have a reflection in the eye

Later in the week I found a Fox that was sleeping in the sun.

A Fox, sleeping.

It woke up. And did lots of scratching and stretching.

A Fox looking like it had just been sleeping

A Fox, stretching

A Fox that has been scratching

On Friday, whilst fruitlessly looking for a fox I saw a Black Redstart in the distance.  It was kind enough to come closer before retreating into the distance again!

Thank you very much!

Later on Friday I got pooped on by a murmuration.

Norwich Starling Murmuration

Halvergate

I went to Halvergate earlier in the year to see a Rough-legged Buzzard.  It may have left as there was a sad face against it on BirdGuides this evening.

Rough-legged Buzzard but like ages ago

I went to Halvergate last week to see a Short-eared Owl.  Which I did.

Bloody Hell.

I went to Halvergate on Saturday to see a Short Eared Owl. Which I didn't.   But I saw this.

Blimey

And some of this too.

Mute and Bewicks with Nelson's Column in the distance

Halvergate.  It's alright.  Sometimes.

That Heron again...

This bird has been very kind to me over the last year, sitting on various bits of metal that point into the sky and things like that.  It has posed, preened, fluffed and flown in various light conditions that have appeared on various online outlets.  Here are the latest two to be processed.

Ninja Heron

Get your freak on

Breakin' the rules with a Fox

If you follow the rules, you don't take this shot.

400mm lens at 400mm.  

1/8s f5.6 ISO640.  

Sort of hand held.

Sort of works.

Fox having a yawn at camera talk

Waxwing!

Ok, it isn't a fresh one.  A year ago today one was kicking about in the middle of Norwich City Centre. It ate apples, waited for a bit, did a poo, waited a bit longer and then went back to the apples.  It was a grey Saturday afternoon, with a Premier League kick-off less than an hour away.  Funny looks were the order of the day.

My overlong experiment with high ISO was in full swing.  With the benefit of hindsight I can comfortably state that as far as the image quality went I stuffed it.  Nonetheless here is a photo of the bird that I still quite like.  Those branches were always in the way!

Waxwing = nice

Triskaidekaphobia

A highly significant gull

This one in fact.  

[I'm represented in this image by the looming foreground bulk - a rare self taken photo image (there must be a better name for that kind of thing)]

'So what?' you might say, 'getting close to gulls isn't that hard or exciting' and you would (in my world anyway) be completely wrong.  You see this particular gull is good for the following reasons.  It is a Med, I could get close and it can be seen from the ring road in Norwich.  

Most significantly of all - I now have Meditteranean Gull on my Norwich List.  

I took more photos.

.

There was a Common Gull or two.  They are already on the list.

More gull photos here.

Back on the Black

First Black Redstart of the year is back in the patch, and what a cracker he is!  Bit distant for a decent shot so a heavy crop, but this will change as the season progresses.

Plenty more Black Redstart photos by clicking on these words...