Of Glossy Ibis

Yes! I know this isn't a Glossy Ibis! This is a Gadwall, a very subtly pretty duck.

I had a day at Newport Wetlands today. I met up with Nigel Desmond (or @barman58 as he sometimes calls himself!

It's nice going to a nature reserve on your own, as you can sit for hours in one place and not have to worry if the other person is getting bored, but it is equally to spend the day with someone who knows the patch much better than you. Shared knowledge and experience is always welcomed in all walks of life and interests, and a shared cup of coffee is always much more fun than drinking alone!

The weather was by and large kind. I was in more of a bird watching state of mind than photography, hence this heavily cropped image taken from the hide at the Uskmouth end of the reserve.

I picked up a few good year ticks. The Little Owls were showing well from the broken tree in their usual place. They are too far off with the 300mm lens, but with a 500mm lens now on order, hopefully I can get something semi decent of them soon. They were companion feeding, which is a good sign they will stick around and have little 'uns again this year.

The Kingfisher putting a flash of an appearance, as did the Marsh Harrier, but the later being a far more languid affair.

I did attempt some digiscoping using the new T Ring and the dSLR, it was a bit gloomy to get the shutter speeds up, so I only had limited success. I also need to tweak the set up to make it easier for me to get photographs.

Nigel showed me an area of the reserve I had not been to before, near Salt Marsh Lane. This is where Newport Wetlands star birds are residing at the moment. There are a couple of Glossy Ibis there at the moment. Not the most spectacular bird in yesterdays late afternoon gloom, but when the sun comes out, they are covered in a sheen that reminds you off oil on water. Alas, the combined gloom, and the birds staying far enough away to get a photo meant I was consigned to watching them through the scope. This in itself was quite a thrill. A life tick for me, and another one of the those scarcities ticked off.

A cracking day, and thanks to Nigel for showing me around, and allowing me to try out various bits of his photography equipment.

I'll be back at Newport on Friday I suspect ... the weather is set to be sunny *shock horror*