Curlew Sandpiper image from the past

With all the new software available these days, it paid to take all my old images in RAW format.  I was trawling through some files and came across this one.  I gave it some minor treatment in Capture NX2's latest update and this was the result!

Recent Dunlin images with Nikon D4s

Below are some juv Dunlin images taken in the last couple weeks at Carnsew Pool and Tresemple Pool.  They are taken with the Nikon D4s and 500mm F4, coupled up to the new 1.4x mk3 teleconverter.  The D4s is the most advanced camera Nikon have made to date.  I'm well used to using Nikon kit but this camera is a like an untamed stallion.  I'm taking a while to master it.  In particular the exposure is incredibly sensitive to perfect.  The 11 shot per second burst is nice though, as is the new spot focus system.

The spot focus on the eye is uber-accurate.

A flock of Dunlin at last light with nice reflections.  The spot focus locked on and didn't let go.

Black-tailed Godwit at St Clement, Truro

This single juv Black-tailed Godwit was showing well at St Clement yesterday evening.  The sun was quite low so gave a nice warm glow to the bird.  In addition, I saw 141 Redshank, 11 Greenshank and about twenty Dunlin, all roosting at the back of Tresemple Pool.

Peregrine code HV

I photographed this first year Peregrine over Lelant last week.  On closer inspection it has a yellow ring with the code HV.

Little Stint and Dunlin at Hayle

I went to Hayle Estuary on Sunday to check out some waders.  There were very few to look at though among the dozen or so Dunlins was a juv Little Stint.

Lesser Yellowlegs at Croft Pascoe, Lizard

The pond at Croft Pascoe is looking particularly attractive at the moment with low water levels exposing a decent amount of mud and shallow water.  Additionally, a new scrape has been created which clearly has an attraction to waders.  A Wood Sandpiper plus a few Common Snipe were also present.  I photographed the Lesser Yellowlegs from the road as it fed fairly close.  This is the first reported vagrant from the States for the season and I'm assuming Croft Pascoe will attract a few more soon.

Taken with Nikon D4s and 500mm F4.

Unprecedented numbers of terns at Hayle Estuary

Yesterday at Hayle there were in excess of 2000 terns, the majority being Common Tern.  We also saw 16 Black Tern, 3 Roseate Tern, a few Arctics and Sandwich plus a handful of Little Tern.  These numbers are unprecedented.  In 40 years of birding in Cornwall, I have never seen such numbers.  To see all six British terns in one evening is also an event.  The weather played a part but also St Ives Bay is good for sand eel at the moment so I'm guessing that the feeding environment is good.

Below are some of the images I took last night:

Silver-washed Fritillary at Breney Reserve

Last Sunday I found two Silver-washed Fritillary's at Breney Reserve near Helman Tor.  They were both in mint fresh condition.  I have never seen them here before.

Dragonflies in Cyprus in June

I took these images of some dragonflies whilst birding in the Akamas area of Cyprus.

They were all taken with 70-200 F/2,8 plus 2x Teleconverter.  The closest focus on this set up is about three feet, which is perfect for insects.

Female Keeled Skimmer

Male Keeled Skimmer

Female Red-veined Dropwing

Scarlet Darter

Swallowtails in Cyprus

On a recent visit to Cyprus, I was lucky to find a small colony of very confiding Swallowtails.  They always stayed very low to the ground so I was able to get these low-angle shots.
They were taken with the Nikon D4 and 70-200 F/2.8 and 2x TC combo. This set-up allows close focus of about one metre.

Summer plumage waders in Cornwall

I took these shots last week on the beach and rocks in Mount's Bay.  I counted about 140 Sanderling, 30 Dunlin and seven Purple Sandpiper.  All of them were in nice summer plumage. May is the best month (and short window) to see waders in their best plumage.

First summer Ross's Gull at Bowling Green Marsh, Devon

A first summer Ross's Gull has been present at Bowling Green for two weeks though was only identified last Thursday by Rob Laughton.  It was previously considered to be a Little Gull.  But who would expect to stumble across this species which should be inside the Arctic Circle?!  It certainly created quite a twitch of around 50 birders today.  It was always distant and these two shots were the best that I could get, peering through a gap in the hedge.