Bad day, good day...

A bad day on Saturday when I managed to drop the camera and break the 1.4 extender. Fortunately, as far as I could tell, the camera and lens were unharmed. Sunday with Barry was to be a test to check the camera and lens were both working normally. So, no great rarities but some nice images from our day out.

We began at Fairburn Ings. A pair of bullfinches were by the visitor centre. Here's the female.

Bullfinch

A pheasant was hoovering up the spilled seed. Pheasant

Down at the kingfisher screen I heard a chiffchaff. Barry spotted it. Gives a real spring-like feel to the day to hear it sing from the willows.

Willow Warbler

Chiffchaff Chiffchaff Chiffchaff Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

A kingfisher showed well - a female this time from the coloured bill.

Kingfisher

A coot down The Cut at Fairburn. Coot

We went on to Swillington/St. Aidan's and then on to Old Moor.

The tree sparrow farm soon added to our day list. A late redwing was lurking at the base of the hedge in the gloom. Redwing

Yellowhammers and reed buntings were present too.

Yellowhammer

Reed Bunting

Teal and shoveler came close to the hides.

Teal

Shoveler

Male and female pochard: birds often overlooked? Pochard

Pochard

One jackdaw had some white feathering. Jackdaw

Finally just to test the autofocus again, the bulrushes were bursting open and shedding their seeds.

Reedmace

Oh yes, I got two year ticks: sand martins at Fairburn and a lesser black-backed gull at Old Moor.

161 UK 2014