Treecreeper

All quiet on the Fen this morning. The Bearded tits were heard but not seen, making the long walk and long wait seem a bit disappointing, but such is wildlife photography. On the way back I spotted a Little Egret, hunched up in the wet fen. There’s water everywhere, the fen is a damp place anyway, but I’ve never seen it so wet. The flooded areas reflect the big Norfolk sky and the golden sun gilds the reeds, a little corner of wilderness.

I notice a bird in a tree and set the camera up to have a look. It’s a Water rail, a secretive creature that’s rarely seen. I think there are quite a few on the Fen, as I’ve often heard their eerie shrieking call, but I’ve only seen them here a couple of times. Looks like this one was trying to keep his feet dry. He was too distant for a decent photo, but I thought I’d show you this for interest.

Walking back through the wood, a group of Long-tailed, Great and Blue tits were foraging in the tree tops, a pair of Treecreepers were with them. Back at the car park, I found a Treecreeper on one of the oaks and tried to photograph this small mouse like bird as it crept up the tree, using it’s needle thin beak to prize insects from the bark. It would creep to the higher branches and then tumble like a falling leaf back to the bottom to begin searching the tree again, always working upwards. Only after repeating this process numerous times was the Treecreeper satisfied that every crevice had been checked and it moved off to search another tree.

The soft winter sun wasn’t quite strong enough to capture this fast moving little bird, but I was pleased to get one photo!

 
(Click images to view larger…)

If you like what you see, please consider sharing![social_share/]

UK & Eire Natural History Bloggers

Similar Posts

  • Swallowtails and a surprise

    Phew, what a day! Headed out to the Broads to try and find some Swallowtail butterflies, we found several on the wing, but they didn’t settle, and I was surprised to find a lack of flowers. We decided to go back to Strumpshaw for the afternoon. The place was alive with Swallowtails! We must have…

  • Wayland Wood

    Visited Wayland Wood in Norfolk for the first time yesterday. The wood at this time of year is filled with birdsong and bluebells, and yesterday, the patter of raindrops on newly unfurled leaves. The dull, damp conditions would have been great for close up photography, but an annoying little breeze made it very difficult. When…

  • Green-winged Glory

    I spent a morning in May at a local meadow, photographing these beautiful native orchids. I often think our native botanical riches are a bit overlooked, but we do have a fascinating selection of species here, and I will definately be trying to explore more in the future. The Green-winged orchid is one of around…

  • Lackford Lakes

    It’s been a long time since I picked up my camera, but what better way to start my photography year than with a trip to a fantastic nature reserve in the heart of Suffolk. Lackford Lakes is well know for it’s great wildlife and birdlife and for good photo opportunites too. It was one of…

  • Pastures new, and old

    Forgive me friends, for my prolonged absence. I have been doing that most stressful of things – moving house. So here I am, all settled in, exploring pastures new. Newly located between numerous nature reserves, there’s plenty to see, but more on that at a later date. Back to pastures old, and my patch –…

3 Comments

Leave a Reply