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Posts tagged with "water"

Common terns at Rutland water

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While waiting for the ospreys to come closer we were often entertained by the antics of common terns. A few seemed to like the fence posts near the hide.
common tern on post

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Dung fly, cucumber spider and other inverts at Rutland water

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While at Rutland on the Saturday the bright afternoon sunshine brought out the insects and spiders. In one nettle bed a dung fly posed on a better than usual perch!
dungfly
This is my best shot of one by miles.

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Ospreys at Rutland Water

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Last weekend I headed up to Rutland Water to meet up with some friends and see the ospreys. After meeting up and heading to the hide we were treated to relatively close views (compared to the normal distant view) of the ospreys on the nest.
ospreys on nest

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More coot fighting action

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I'll finish as I started with the Regents Park posts, with those aggressive coots. This photo is probably the best I managed
coots fighting best

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Lesser Water Boatman Corixa panzeri and Mayfly Nymph

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Yesterday with my camera and flash back and being back at Wat Tyler Country Park, I decided to try out my technique for photographing pond creatures. I had a quick sweep with the net in a pond and came in with some water boatmen and a couple of mayfly nymphs

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Lee Valley Bittern Hide

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Yesterday I thought I'd finally pop over to the bittern hide at Lee valley as one or more had been seen everyday in recent weeks. So I walked into the hide and sat down, to be treated with my best ever views of....not bitterns, but water rails! The light was awful with thick cloud and little light getting through, so I had to use ISO 800. I did manage one ok photo of a water rail however

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Pond creatures

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I set a quiz yesterday to ID the pond creatures in this photoThe answers are:
A: Greater pond snail
B: Waterlouse
C: Dragonfly nymph - this is probably a darter dragonfly nymph
D: Lesser water boatman

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Little grebe flying lessons

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On friday I had the day off work and went on a mini tour of some local sites. After a quick no eventful visit to Ingrebourne Valley, I headed to Rainham RSPB reserve. No sooner had I got out the car a large sparrowhawk wizzed by with something in its talons - no photo Im afaid. But in the pond by the entrance a yellow water frog (probably a marsh frog) posed in the weed

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Puffins in flight and on water

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Here are my final batch of puffin photos. These were taken later than the others, when the clouds had returned and the sun no where to be seen (until, of course, the moment we got back to the mainland!) First up, floating on the water near the dock

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Rainham Marshes - spiders, water voles and a reed bunting

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Continuing my quest to catch up with my posting here are the photos from my visit to Rainham Marshes a few weekends ago. Although RSPB Rainham marshes is a mostly visited for its bird life, I always seem to spend more time looking at the other wildlife. It is pretty good spot for spiders, and on the wooden platform barriers I spotted a wolf spider

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