Sunday 14 December 2014

Westport lake - Redhead Smew

It's been a busy time for the first two weeks of December with talks / travel taking their toll and little in the way of birding opportunities. From the middle of this coming week - I'm a free agent again and hopefully that final bird I need for 2014 (whatever it is) will turn up somewhere?

I kept the shutter moving but not the list with a drive over to Westport lake this morning! At least I could say images of Redhead Smew were well and truly on the cards - as opposed to the very distant Redhead at Aqualate earlier in the year!

The only downside was the dull cloudy conditions! And the Smew was initially out in the middle but eventually flew to the south west corner....


 Heading my way!






Close encounter indeed! just 15m off the bank!


And the darker water helping somewhat?






 Just one wing flap with minimal shutter speed!


The post dive moment.


Maybe the best (brief) moment of 'light'!


I've got a couple of days planned in Norfolk at the end of the week with Ian Grant. Let's see what happens then?