Tawny Owl resting up during the day at WWT Martin Mere.

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With it being deep undercover it’s difficult to get a good shot.

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Peregrine Falcon hunting over the fields at Martin Mere

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Last of the Goldcrest shots taken in the garden

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Very cold and windy at Martin Mere yesterday and more to come this week.

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Avocet taken at Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Martin Mere using Canon 430EX11 flash

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Today was the day I decided to try and photograph the Sparrowhawk that has started to visit my garden again.

With the lack of light I decided to dig out my Canon Speedlite 430EX11 and use some fill flash.

After setting everything up all I had to do was sit and wait. One hour later I noticed some movement around the base of the tree.

Not the Sparrowhawk that I was expecting but something much smaller.

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It’s a Goldcrest searching for insects, a dangerous place to be as the Sparrowhawk could appear at any time.

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I find it difficult to get the balance right when using a flash (due to my lack of skill) but I am reasonably happy with the results.

Early on in the year we had a holiday in Tuscany, we hired a car for the two weeks so we could explore the region

We followed the wine and scenic routes from Volterra, to the island of Elba.

On one of the days we visited a small Zoo. However the living conditions of the birds and mammals could only be described as poor.

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Not much action on the photographic front so I decided to stay at home and see what turns up.

It’s been very quiet in the garden for the last few weeks but some birds have started to reappear. Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Nuthatch and  most of the Tits, that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the local Sparrowhawk.

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It visited the garden three times in the last hour. Still didn’t manage a shot (next time I will be ready).

It’s been ages since I last visited Frodsham Marsh, I had a run down to see if I could get any Fieldfare or Redwing feeding on the Hawthorn berries but that didn’t work out as I couldn’t get near enough to photograph them.

However a small group of Meadow pipits turned up on the fence line next to the roadway so I was able to get some shots from the car.

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Going through old folders and found these Curlew A92X6437

Curlew at RSPB Leighton Moss

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I found these Photos of a Carrion Crow feeding on a dead Squirrel as I was going through some old folders.

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It’s been a few weeks since I last photographed the Kingfisher, despite calling in most days I haven’t seen them and according to local birders they haven’t been seen.

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 I thought that may be it until spring next year, however on this mornings short visit one female Kingfisher turned up and I managed to get a few shots before it disappeared from view.

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Not pressed the shutter on the camera since returning from France over two weeks ago.

Our visit to France was to find our own Place in the Sun. It will be perfect for us and the family with its slower pace of life.  

Our intention is to have a holiday home and use it as often as we can. Not much happens in the Limousin area of France as it is largely used for agriculture.

It has some very big leisure lakes that get well used in the summer and attracts visitors from all over France and Europe they are also great for wildlife.

 The Limousin is the size of Wales with varying habitats from mountainous heavily wooded regions to rolling hills overlooking woods and pasture to flat fields.  Another bonus it that the Limousin area of France is a major migratory route for birds.

The Limousin has some large towns and is peppered with small hamlets. The lack of traffic reflects the population numbers out of the towns (its great).

Flights from Manchester and Liverpool are inexpensive and you could drive if you wanted to.

After landing at Limoges international airport we headed off to La Souterraine our first port of call to the gite which would be our base for a few days as we checked out the surrounded areas for a suitable property.

From the Haute Vienne to the Creuse and the Charente areas of France our journey ended after nine days. With over two thousand miles covered and numerous viewings carried out. With some great properties seen and some not so good we finally found one which came with two acres of woodland near Rochechouart set in small hamlet.

If all goes to plan we should be in our place in the sun by the end of January 2014 and photographing some great wildlife.

Bearded Tits at RSPB site, Leighton Moss

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At this time of year Bearded Tits can be seen eating grit from the grit tables just off the causeway on the approach to the public hide.

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