What a dunce!

You may recall my attempt at 'finches' and failing miserably with the Goldfinch, well it hasn't got much better – quite simply I lose the eye in the black around the bill and when I do hold the eye the overall effect is washed out. Not good!

Goldfinch

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker – I liked the blurred foreground foliage

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker... hanging on is easy!

Sand Martin

Sand Martin

Sand Martin

Sand Martin

 MY First 2011Swallow on the Fylde

I popped down to Wallend, near the River Ribble where there is a piece of Preston City Council owned land awaiting development (near Motor City) as Neil Spiers had given me the heads up on a number of warblers thereabouts. A Willow Warbler was singing from high in a tree by the road when I arrived and others off in the brush. Singing Blackcap and Wren were seen before I picked up this Willow Warbler, deep in the willow and the exposure was problematic. Not the best pics in the world and thereafter I popped down to Newton Marsh.

All a bit quiet apart from 40 or so hirundines flying around. The odd Swallow and certainly House Martins; a devil to photograph, keep up with and get anything in focus as I found when I got home and downloaded. Shocked and stunned and like a dunce I didn't realise this and probably other Sand Martins were amongst them. I remember catching this bird overhead as it was catching insects quite high up and I remember 'following' it but against the sky the detail was lost on me through the viewfinder. Only later processing these images, and they are adjusted (and still rubbish) it is easy to see a Sand Martin. Knucklehead!

I photographed a Swallow sat on a wire as it was my first of the year hereabouts, although others seen 'upt 'trough'. And a few blossom images to brighten up an otherwise monochrome post.