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Sunday 17 June 2018

My 15 minutes of fame, a Water Rail chick, a Red Legged Partridge and chick, plus a photography exhibition!

My Albino House Sparrow photo's caused quite a stir over the last week since I posted them here on this blog!
   Firstly ITV West Country News featured my photo with my name on their bulletins, then I was contacted by BBC Somerset radio to give an interview about the mega rare bird!
    My photo's also featured in in the Daily Mail, Daily Express and Daily Telegraph, plus got repeated online all over the world, including South Korea! 

Here was my pic on the ITV news;



And here is my BBC Somerset radio interview;


Here is the piece in the Daily Express;


And finally, here's a link to The Daily Mail article;


 As well as being in huge demand by the worlds media, hehe, I have also taken part in the 'Eyes on the Levels' nature weekend on trhe Somerset Levels, organised by Richard Tweedy and Alison Everitt. My photo's were included in an exhibition of nature photography at Shapwick Church, along with some other local wildlife photographers including Kim Hemmings, Chris Hooper, Andrew Kirby and Colin Lawrence. It was a great success and proved quite popular, no doubt in no small part to the delicious cakes on offer for visitors! :D


^Above^  - from left to write; Myself, Colin, Andrew, Chris and Alison.

There was also a very entertaining talk at Burtle village hall by renowned naturalist and nature author Dominic Couzens, plus yet more fabulous food and company. 
 It was a very entertaining weekend, thank you to everyone involved, especially Richard and Alison! 






^Above^  - My part of the photography exhibition!

Amidst all the fun and excitement, I did manage to take some nature photo's!
One in particular I was very happy with, a young Water Rail Chick!! An all black little bundle of fluff with big feet, and very rarely seen! I had to get down on my belly to get the pics...
    Also photographed was a Red Legged Partridge with it's only tiny chick beside the main road at Greinton in Somerset! Luckily they didn't venture into the road itself!

Below are some of the pics I've managed since my last post;











^Above^  - The tiny Water Rail chick at RSPB Greylake. It seemed to have a head injury poor thing!






















^Above^  - Red Legged Partridge and chick at Greinton in Somerset.



^Above^  - Mother Roe Deer and fawn near Moorlynch, which ran out in front of my van and only survived due to my very sharp emergency breaking reactions!!













^Above^  - Reed Warblers at Greylake.


^Above^  - Great White Egret at  Greylake.


^Above^  - Distant Hobby at Greylake.













^Above^  - Male Reed Bunting singing in the reeds at Greylake, complete with a wayward feather!!


^Above^  - Yellow Wagtail passing overhead at Greylake.


^Above^  - Redshank at Greylake.


^Above^  - Cute Mute Swan Cygnet at Greylake.



^Above^  - Younger and older Mallard ducklings at Greylake.




^Above^  -Little Grebe at Greylake.



^Above^  - Grass Snake at Greylake.



^Above^  - Blackbird singing to the setting sun in my home village (With Woodpigeon in the bottom pic)




^Above^  - Sunset in my village with Woodpigeon and Blackbird in the top pic again!



^Above^  - Swallows in my village.


^Above^  - Woodpigeon portrait in my village.


^Above^  - Jackdaw in my village.


^Above^  - Rabbit in my village.


^Above^  - House Martin in my village.





^Above^  - Buzzard being harrassed by a Carrion Crow in my village.


^Above^  -Female Mallard at Steart WWT in Somerset.


^Above^  - Male Chaffinch at Steart.




^Above^  - Reed Buntings at Steart.




^Above^  - Blackbird at Steart.




^Above^  - Avocets at Steart.


^Above^  - Grey Heron at Steart.




^Above^  - Oystercatchers with chicks at Steart.


^Above^  - Little Ringed Plover at Steart.


^Above^  - Shelducks at Steart.



^Above^  - Ox-eye Daisies at Steart.