Reflections

The sunrise at Stithians Reservior southern cut-off was a very peaceful affair with little to no wind over the water which was calm and reflective,  A lone moorhen worked its way out of the reeds into open water but looked like a bit of a dark blob in the low light levels,  But then it took-off and formed some dramatic silhouettd reflections while flying low across the water while creating a far more pleasing image to work on,

A little later the illusive Male Manderin Duck put on a bit of a show and its bright colours were spot on for some brighter reflections as it worked its way around the cut-off but all to soon it was gone.  As the sun rose in the sky so did a cold North westerly wind which instantly created waves which took the reflective photo-opportunity off of the water, but I am sure this fresh new year will present plenty more similar scenes to take advantage of as time unfolds,     Happy New Year !!

Woodpecker flight merge

The female great Spotted Woodpecker was showing well at Stithians Southern cut-off today and several visits to the feeders produced this merge of three images taken in full sunshine which is a bit of a rarity during these dark December days

Small birds produced plenty of flight shots such as the striking male chaffinch posted below

The illusive male Mandarin duck also put in another show but still only from quite a distance from the hide