A rare sighting at Kenfig Nature Reserve!!!!

Well its always the way - luck is such a significant factor in getting that great shot, and they are few and far between. We headed down to Kenfig Pool and nature reserve just outside Pyle, to take a look around the amazing network of sand dunes, natural lake and wetlands

.The area itself is beautiful, and its hard to believe its nestled behind Port Talbot steelworks! The orginal Kenfig village dates back to medieval times but was resettled further inland due to the encroaching seas. Much of the original village is now hidden under the dunes. The cormorant sunning itself in the picture is sitting on part of the village remains.

Anyways i took a few shots, including one of a cow licking a fence post as if it was a 99 !! Anyone know why - cleaning its tongue maybe? So we ventured down to one of the great hides there and sat patiently thinking it was going to be one of those long quiet days where the wildlife sticks two fingers up at you ! After only 20 minutes of jeeping watch on the reedbeds, a Bittern - one of the rarest and shyest wading birds in the UK - slowly skulked from one reedbed to another, and only about 25ft away. The camera was set up correctly, lens cap off and the big 500m Sigma bursting to go.....!

Well i got 3 or 4 stormers of this extremely rare bird - this one is undoubtedly a migrant fleeing the cold northern climes, as there are only around 70 breeding males in the UK - mainly in Lancashire and Anglia.

This sad git was buzzing all day, and we finished off with a stroll around the lake looking at the beautiful autumn colours, and a final shot of a Magpie guiding us on the right path to the car park.

Happy Days! Later......Stu

A quick blog from a very quiet Wetlands!

Ah well - you win some you lose some. There are certain days where nothing goes right. I spent a full day at the wetlands and the wildlife just didn't show. Despite a good few hours hours in the Peter Scott hide, the most dramatic moment was an lumbering Heron sending the Godwits up in the air briefly.

I waited patiently for the Kingfisher but it only appeared briefly skimming quickly across the water leaving a blue flash, and avoiding a number of perches where they are known to sit and fish. It was a little windy today so that water wasnt too still, which isn't good for the old KF's. Instead i just watched the Little Grebe and the Greylag Geese before heading home after a pretty uneventful day.

Better luck next time eh........................... Stu

Egrets and a close call with a Sparrowhawk !!

Hi all,

Its been a while but its good to be back. Been so busy with work that i havent had much of a chance to get out, but yesterday i managed to get up to WWT Llanelli for a few hours with the beast - my brand new Sigma 150- 500 Lens. Still very much a budding photographer but at least i looked a pro - right? :)

It was nice and quiet up there so i had the chance to settle in a few of the hides and experiment. Just for you pros, the pictures have been cropped and sharpened so when you click on the thumbnail they may well look a bit grainy due to ISO levels combined with shutter speeds - OK !!!

Theres a lot of little egrets up there at the moment which are a beautiful bird - very much like a Heron but snow white. They fly really beautifully with their gangly legs dangling from the sky - more akin to a stork delivering a baby !!

I headed of to the Peter Scott hide overlooking one of the lagoons, and all seemed quiet. Then in flew a couple of black-tailed Godwits, a little like a Curlew but with a very straight beak. A guy id passed on the way to the hide said that a sparrowhawk had been seen in the area, and after about an hour it shot out from the woods sending ducks, moorhens and every other bird diving for cover. Unfortunately it happened so fast that i was shooting in aperture rather than shutter priority. This is the best shot i got which aint bad but could have been soo much better :( Awesome to see though.

Also a few dragonflies around and after much frustration i got a half decent shot of a Migrant Hawker to finish the day. Hopefully i'll be out with the new lens soon and some more shots.

Later... Stu