Marazion Marsh

It was a cold frosty morning around Marazion today but the lack of wind made it pleasant to be out and about and the clouded sunrise made a fine spectacle backing up the coastline at St Micheal's Mount

                                             

A lone doe Roe Deer browsed the hedgerow in the fields behind Longrock pool and a rabbit on the warren didn't like getting cold paws on the frosted grass and so it resulted to warming them up on its cheeks.

I stopped  for a while and watched some of the larger birds that arrived early at the marsh.  First in were several pairs of Noisy Canada Geese that all made a nice fly-by only to turn to make graceful landings on the waters at the front of the warren.

I then watched the skill and agility with which a Grey Heron approached and landed on what looked like an impossible Willow tree branches for such a large bird to land on but it sat there rock solid posing as still as a statue, 

Early morning Marazion

I took a phone shot of a St Micheal's Mount sunrise when I arrived at Marazion Marsh early this morning and as I did so I watched a Grey Heron take off from its roost on mount pine trees and head towards the marsh to provide my second shot of the morning.

The mallards were already busy on the marsh and low flying flock of Fifty or more Canada Geese completed a fly-bye to land on nearby Long Rock Pool

Meadow pipits are showing in good numbers at the moment and one of the ever present Marsh rabbits seemed to take offence when I lined up to take a few portraits

White world

It was a cold and frosty white world for the rabbits on the warren at Marazion Marsh this morning,  I have watched them before and they just hate getting their feet cold and wet and they shake the frost off their paws as soon as they stop moving,  The rabbit above had adopted a policy of having no more than two on the ground and preferably none !!

Spring was in the air for the bird life on the water with a pair of Canada geese that having given last years family of five the brush off were displaying well and eventually mated in the very cold water ??

The Moorhen were also in 'Mating mode' as several of the males got involved in a serious territorial dispute with talons and feathers going in all directions,

Time to go home to a hearty breakfast of Duck eggs on corn bread  but perhaps I shouldn't mention that until after leaving the Marsh,

PM at Marazion Marsh Today

It was a nice afternoon so I made my second visit of the day to Marazion Marsh, still looking for my first illusive Bittern image of the winter,  No show!   but I amused myself with a few of the locals while waiting, first off, our pair of resident Mute Swans have a very close bond to the extent that from this camera angle they looked like a two headed monster.

The Snipe spend little time on the marsh margins where they are always in danger from the local Sparrowhawk but this one decided to run the gauntlet for long enough for me to rattle off a few shots.

The resident Stonechat are quite laid back and show little fear of birders and photographers that come and go along the road boundary wall,  This male that was busy feeding on flying insects while giving me the opportunity for a few more take-off images,  It got closer and closer until my camera angle was obscured by the wall so I shinned up onto it and captured this very close sequence which I have montaged and posted below.

I turned to get down only to see a very close rabbit that was alarmed by my stance on the wall and not looking to pleased with my performance,   I just had time to captured his reaction before he was gone.