Psilos Bird Journal
Sunday January 14th 2007
     
"A common invasion"
     
In stark contrast to the day before the light today was amazing, clear and soft with the brightest of blue skies. I was only out for a couple of hours but light of this quality makes photography very easy indeed. As I arrived the sun was just starting to go down. Its rays were coming straight across the lake and everything was backlit.
     

     
To get the light behind me I had to walk round the other side of the lake. Today Mute swan numbers seem low but there are high numbers of Tufted ducks.
     

     
 

     
Tufted duck female
     
Nearby a family were feeding the ducks and letting their dog get a little too close to this mute swan who was hissing his disapproval.
     
     
Out in the middle of the lake the adult Great crested grebes were patrolling. I couldnt find any of their young though an older juvenile bird was present on the smaller lake alongside.
     
     

There are also a high number of gulls around. Mainly black headed gulls but there is also a large influx of juvenile Common and lesser black backed gulls. Common gulls are often seen here in ones and twos but today was the highest number I have seen in a while.
 
 
 
I think this bird below is a juvenile Lesser black backed gull.
 
 
Away from the lake there is a ditch where many woodland birds like to drink. For a while I stood quietly and just watched. There were chaffinches, greenfinch, goldfinch, great, blue and coal tits and robins. Photographing them drinking is difficult as you cannot get close and light levels there are low. Managed to photograph this little coal tit who didnt seem to mind my presence too much.