Bank Holiday Blues

(CLICK ON A PIC AND IT WILL GO BIG)

Grey Lake was living up to its name today. Chilly and grey, well it is a bank holiday after all. What do you expect! I met Mike Tout and we settled down in the main hide wit quite a few others. Perhaps a hang over from that bird over at Shapwick. Thankfully they gradually dwindled away. Despite the dullness it was quit entertaining at parts. A steady stream of Yellow Wagtail sightings and the constant 'Where's the Green Winged Teal'. I never really got to see it properly but, as I say, there was plenty to entertain.

It started with a local star. A magnificent Male Bittern fly-by. He was booming well all day.

Male Bittern in full bloom and boom

Next constant entertainers, even though they decided to do a bit of a disappearing act every now and then, were four Ruff, two male, two female along with a few Red Shank. One female had a patch with missing feathers on the front of its neck!

Female Ruff with missing neck feathers

Red Shank

Peregrine making a distant pass

Roe Deer and Pylons

Male Ruff in flight

But the best entertainment was watching the Lapwings harassing everything with a sharp beak that came anywhere near their patches. This Heron came in for most of the stick! Feisty things Lapwings even at the best of times but when they are nesting you don't want to argue with them!

Spot the Buzzard waiting patiently in the tree for any opportunity.

It eventually gave up and flew off. Coming back a few more times to get the same treatment.

Easy things to shoot. They are big, slow and not too shy.

With a lull in the action I clipped on my new favourite lens. The Takuma Super-Macro 50mm F4

Spider in the corner

Erm its Black and white, so its interesting ok

Spider again

The real beauty of this lens is you can go from the pics above to this one

A grey day at Grey lake

There was still a lull so I entertained myself, and Mike, with trying to get the St Marks Flies that were hovering just outside with a 50mm lens!

St Marks Fly

Other high lights of the day........

Reed Bunting taking nesting material

Swan Fly-by

That Male Ruff refusing to ruff up

The Red Shank won

Male Ruff

Red Shank

Male Ruff

Warning - Cuteness alert!! A pair of Canada Geese had a brood of Goslings, six in all. They gradually came close enough to get them.

That Buzzard liked to shelter in this tree. I'm rather chuffed with this pic.

One of the four Yellow Wagtails a long, long, long, long way away

Some Eurasian Teal. The Green Winged one stayed put

By about five we had had enough. The chilly breeze and drizzle was getting a bit close to the bone so we made our way back. Yet another Heron was sitting and I couldn't refuse.

Heron

Goldfinch

Grey lake is an entertaining place pretty much all year round and as usual one of the EFRS's regular haunts has provided us with some interesting and enjoyable sights. The Ruff was a good sighting. I've not seen a Male in full bloom before. So an added bonus of a first. Never mind the rain and cold its Britain after all!