If this was an exotic rarety then we would be saying what a lovely image.  I am pleased that I have been able to produce a nice picture of such a common bird.

I have spent the last week enjoying the company of my 4 year old grand daughter, what a treat.  This has obviously prevented me from going about my usual " very selfish" obsession with birds and bird photography.  However, I always talk to her about birds  and I took her to the bird hide at Darts Farm to let her look through my binos. She was excited and did actually enjoy the idea of being able to see things nearer…. (her words).  We saw a nice Little Egret and then she remembered later  that it had black legs with yellow feet and also that it was white and that it was looking for little fish.  Not bad for a 4 year old I don't think.  She can identify a Kingfisher from paintings and photographs and  when she was  only 2 years old, we sat in a hide and watched a Kingfisher from just a few feet away, she is well and truly brainwashed!!  As we drove back up the muddy track past the field of sunflowers, a massive free meal for all the birds with the wit to find them, we saw several Wood pigeon that were balancing on the flower heads and making the best of the feast.   We stopped the car and took lots of nice portraits.  We should all applaud the owners of Darts Farm for putting the hide there and allowing free access  and also for planting the sunflowers, if only every business had the same green ethos.  I haven't been asked to do it but I recommend that you visit Darts Farm, let your wife shop then you go to the hide, or obviously, the other way around and then you both use the cafe, chip shop or restaurant,  a nice way to spend a few hours.  There's even an RSPB shop.  The RSPB will give you the impression that they are responsible for the hide here but that is not the case. 

Bella's Egret.

 On the trip  to the Midlands today we travelled up the M5 and at Michael Wood Services, yet again there was a small flock of Gulls.  It was just brilliant to see,  amongst the very familiar Black-headed Gulls, there were 3 adult and one first winter Common Gull. My grand daughter took great delight in feeding them with crisps and cake from the car window.  I was disappointed and angry with myself that I hadn't taken my camera because I would have got some great photos of this bird, called  "Common Gull" but to be honest, you will normally not get this close to them  this easily, but I have photographed them previously, in 2011 for example….. click here to see photographs

I have just seen an amazing piece on the BBC about trees cutting air pollution.  Having recently lost the 25 year old 30 foot high large apple tree from  the adjoining  garden which was a tragedy and then even more recently,  a massive Torbay Palm from the other adjoining  garden it makes me wonder even more, why would they do that? Also sadly, I haven't seen a finch  in the garden so far this Autumn,  whereas in previous years the garden had been full of bird life. It's very, very  sad.