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Monday 15 October 2012

WWT Martin Mere

One of my favourite places to visit is the Wildfowl and Wetlands trust at Martin Mere, especially in the winter when it is the host of 1000's of Whooper Swans that over winter here before returning to their breeding grounds in Iceland. Sharon has never been so I was really keen to get her there to see these amazing birds, so it was a little disappointing that we were a little early as only a few Whooper families had arrived back. But the visit was still really exciting as we sat and watched 1000's of Pink Footed Geese coming in to land and roost on the Mere after returning from feeding on the surrounding fields. These birds are on a short stop over in Lancashire as they make their way from the arctic to their summer home on the Norfolk coast area.
I also got the opportunity to photograph my favourite Eider ducks and a delightful Mute Swan family who posed lovely and back lit from the setting sun.

A couple of reflective Eiders

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A wet Shelduck

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One of the first Whooper families to arrive back from Iceland

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Another family arriving

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Not a lot of room on the crowded Mere

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12 comments:

  1. Amazing pictures. Findlay will love looking at this post tomorrow.

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    1. Thanks Heather, Findlays blog is an absolute joy to see, it's so refreshing to see a youngster so inspired by the natural world!!

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  2. A lot of heavy sighing going on over here. Your photos are exquisite, Gary!!! The two top ones especially - the bird looks like it's floating on a pool of mercury. It has an almost surreal quality to it. BRAVO!!!

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    1. Thanks very much, I do like the Eider shots.

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  3. Like my mum said I really did enjoy reading that post, it is one of my favourite reserves as well.

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    1. Thanks Findlay, Martin Mere is a great place, I cant wait to get back there once all the Whoopers are back from Iceland

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  4. MM is certainly a good place for bird photography Gary, if sometimes hard to single out subjects beacuse of the sheer mass of birds. Nice to gwet close ups of Eider though and your shot of the serene Whoopers is just great.

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  5. your photos are so beautiful, very good work.

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  6. An inspiration for any budding wildlife photographer to follow suit Gary. The Eiders are brilliant....and I've 'nicked' one!!

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  7. Love the lighting on those Mute Swans Gary.

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Thanks for dropping by, any comments you may have are greatly appreciated.
Gary