Nearly but not quite

Someone very wise once said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It’s true, and that’s what we do as wildlife photographers. We visit the same spot again and again, hoping for that one moment when it all comes together. The light, the subject – we wait for that one moment. Well that’s what I’ve been doing for several weeks now. Waiting on the Fen, for a special subject. This morning was a beautiful frosty start to the day, the first thing I see slinking through the crystallised grass is a Fox, sleek and handsome he stares at me when I squeak, and then bounces away as I try to turn the camera towards him. The frozen ground crunches underfoot, and the first golden light pours over the glistening white frost. The hedge is full of chattering Fieldfares, a pair of Swans glide overhead and two of the resident Roe deer watch shyly as I walk by.

Great reedmace, Typha latifoli, Bulrush, frost, Winter, Suffolk, December

 

Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, covered in frost, Winter, December, Suffolk

 

I reach the spot and wait, an hour or maybe two goes by with nothing but the most fleeting of glimpses. I move on, and then there,  a movement. Two more, quite close, a flutter, a whistle, they flit on the top of the reeds, the birds I’ve been trying to photograph for weeks.

 

Beardedtit061214DM1895

Bearded tits. Not very well named really, they’re not a member of the tit family, and the male wears a rather dapper moustache rather than a beard. Anyway, they are special little birds, a regular, though elusive Winter visitor to the Fen. So here’s my nearly but not quite photo, they decided to perch momentarily on the same reed, meaning I couldn’t get both in focus, then they moved down into the reeds to feed, not allowing any other chances to get a clear view. Nearly, but not quite. I’ll keep trying!

 

(Click images to view larger…)

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

BOB_Avatar

 

 

 

 

 

UK & Eire Natural History Bloggers

Current favourite books, click for more info:




 

Subscribe

Sign up to receive blog notifications and exclusive content!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Similar Posts

  • Strumpshaw Fen

    Happy New Year! First post of the year, and hopefully the first of many, as I’ve got big plans for photography this year! Visited RSPB Strumpshaw Fen this morning, which is one of my most favourite places. Why? Well, maybe because it was the first place I watched a wild otter, or because it’s the…

  • Dove Step

    Happy New Year to you all! I just wanted to make you aware of a fantastic group of people, who will be walking 300 miles to raise money and awareness to save the Turtle Dove. A subject very close to my heart as regular readers will know. Turtle Doves had a terrible year last year,…

  • Rodney

    Affectionately known as ‘Rodney’ to locals, (thanks to Mike Webb’s brilliant cartoon ‘Mere Quacks’ in our local newspaper, the Diss Express), this special arachnid can be found down at Redgrave and Lopham Fen, managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust. The Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) is one of our largest and rarest spiders. Thanks to extensive and…

  • Expect the Unexpected

    Had the day off work today, so of course I headed over to the Fen, hoping to try photographing the Redwing again. Unfortunately it looks like they have moved on. Lots of birds around today though, all quite vocal in the mild temperature especially the Great tits. Saw a Shelduck at the far end, and…

  • Robin

    A few from the garden today. Decided to try a perch for the Robin and he/she took to it pretty much straight away. The Turtle dove did put in a brief appearance, but quickly wandered off over the other side of the lawn. These last two were a little too centrally composed, so I’ve cropped…

  • Fallow deer

    Started the day at RSPB Titchwell reserve yesterday, but it was a little disappointing as it was cold and windy and the wildlife wasn’t ‘photographable’. When you see birders carrying telescopes, you know it’s not going to be a good day for a 500mm lens. So on the spur of the moment we decided to…

2 Comments

  1. Cracking photos Dawn, to get a pic of one bearded tit is pretty good, but two together, a double whammy! You must have been frozen it was certainly a hard frost on Saturday morning.

Leave a Reply