I can report a bit of photography success from the Birdguides Web Site who run a  photo of the week competition, much revered by birdwatchers and photographers alike.  My recent photo of a Little Egret, taken on the 7th May was shortlisted, have a look her  to  see the brilliant photos that it was up against. Again, I am flattered to have been one of those selected,  (for the 4th time).

We have a Sand Martin colony nearby and they are really lovely to watch as they hawk above the water to feed on small flying insects. This year there seems to be an increase from last, that's great. The weather yesterday was overcast and well, frankly,  dull,  about as bad as it gets for photography. It was particularly  hard to get any decent photos of the Martins because firstly  they fly so quickly. A fast shutter speed is important for in-flight shots particularly of little birds like this that weave back and forth. So here is the situation. Its dull and overcast, birds are flying low over the water presenting great opportunities but like I said conditions for photos could not be worse.  So today, it's bright and sunny, conditions for photos could not be bettered but now the insects are flying higher and consequently so are the birds…….. this wildlife photography thing is hard!.

SAND MARTIN

HOUSE MARTIN

These pictures show the obvious differences between the two species. House Martin are slightly bigger than Sand. They have a white rump and attractive dark blue  head, whereas Sand Martins are shades of brown without any white on the rump but also have  a light belly.