CHASING HOBBIES.

Although we have just moved into the doldrums as far as birding is concerned I thought on Tuesday I'd better do a bit of local birding and as I'd not been to Brandon Marsh for ages I headed over there.Got there at 9.30 AM to find it pleasant weather wise if just a tad windy.

When I got to the Wright hide having walked all round past the golf course all I'd seen were a few Common Whitethroats,a couple of Sedgies and a lone Chiffchaff.The only shot I managed was of a posing Song Thrush.

It was very pleasant walking in the sunshine along the main path but I hadn't seen anything to point the camera at despite looking in all the hides.I was very pleased to see that the staff had just strimmed the path to the Newlands screens for me.Very nice of them.

My first scan of the Newlands was disappointing but very soon a couple of Hobbies showed up and one of them starting zooming around hawking for Dragonflies.I love Hobbies and could watch them all day but getting shots of these chaps is not easy.

It's made even more difficult at these screens because you have to poke your lens through the openings and if the bird flies left,right or up it goes out of view and much swearing ensues.I found myself dashing from one opening to the next to try and get onto it but often it had shot back to where I was before.Lots more swearing.Great fun though.

Here are a few shots that weren't silhouettes  or blurred blobs.Heavily cropped as neither bird came close.

Both Hobbies seemed to be catching a lot of Dragonflies and here are a few shots of them doing so.If you've got good eyes you can just see the Dragonflies.

After lunch I decided to go into Macro mode so I grabbed the SX50 and headed to the tip area.Struggled to find any Butterflies (too windy ?) but did see a Small Tortoiseshell.Got a shot of a Bee Orchid and an insect or two.