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Friday 13 May 2016

Bitterns in flight and a VERY showy Cetti's Warbler!

Yesterday I popped into RSPB Ham Wall during my lunch, the weather was glorious and as a result the reserve was packed with people!
  I chatted with a young lady sat on a raised seat overlooking a reed bed, she was doing a Bittern count for the RSPB. As we chatted, a Bittern did a fly past, and I managed to grab my first pic of the day! Better was to come though, as it made a return flight a few minutes later, but this time came right over my head! I saw another one flying low over the reeds from one of the hides in the reeds.
Very lucky!
   My luck was to continue.... when I came across a VERY showy Cetti's Warbler!
Obviously no-one had told this bird that Cetti's Warblers are supposed to be very hard to see let alone photograph! It sat reasonably out in the open, although it was in the shade, and didn't mind a jot that I was hovering about less than 6 feet away trying to angle a position through the foliage to get a clear shot.... in fact it looked at me with pure disdain!
    Now I don't regard Cetti's as 'shy'.... they're just naturally a skulking species, they're not bothered by humans at all!

   Below are some pics of the Bittern and the posing Cetti's, plus a few other bits and bobs from my short visit to Ham Wall;


Bittern in flight





^Above^ - Bitterns in flight!

































^Above^ - The Cetti's Warbler.... so many pics because they rarely pose so well! :)


^Above^ - Goldcrest.


^Above^ - Garden Warbler.




^Above^ - Whitethroat.


^Above^ - Great Crested Grebe with young on it's back.....was a distant pic unfortunately!


^Above^ - Hobby high overhead...


^Above^ - Young Heron in it's nest.


^Above^ - Great White Egret.


^Above^ - Snails in love!


^Above^ - Brimstone Butterfly


^Above^ - Pretty wildflowers in the Ham Wall car park.



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