close up mandarin ducks and crests

This pair of mandarin showed well for me on a lunch break walk. 

 And the female looking just as great

And shocked to here firecrest calling

at an undisclosed site of cause.

You can't help but like these little guys

Epping forest

I thought I would try the local woods this weekend for all the resident birds included my first singing chiffchaff, treecreeper and nuthatch for the year.

 

bittern walking the walk

 I was given the chance to visit the bittern hide at lea valley today for half an hour, so I didn't think there was much chance of seeing a bittern but true to the hides name a bittern soon arrived and walked slowly across the man made channel.

  

 With no chance of seeing it in the reeds it was gone and so was I.

Little owls and tails

Over the past week I got out with the new camera and stayed local. 

Don't you love it  when nature touches on the human side wink wink. 

 This is first time I've had the chance to photograph little owls and forgot how small they are to the naked eye 

 The owls and the buzzard from the car window 

makes a good hide

 These pair of grey wagtails performed well down a local stream

 nature on the human side again literally

 wren in the sun

 buzzard from the car again

 A couple of buzzards over the garden at the weekend calling and displaying 

distant but fantastic to watch from your garden.

 I found these two little whilst driving through the lanes in billericay