Studley Royal

 If you were allowed a favourite duck this would be mine, a male Smew. This one was at Studley Royal yesterday.

It caught not one fish

but two while I was there.

Smew

Could not resist the Smew at Wynyard Hall yesterday (5^th). Weather was poor and it was always distant but what a cracking bird!!! A brief visit to Saltholme where I had great views of a Water Rail and Sparrowhawk. Called at Cowpen Bewley on the way back home, loads of small birds were around the feeding station.

Smew

Cormorant

Water Rail on ice

Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk with attitude

Tree Sparrow

Male Yellowhammer

Female Yellowhammer

Male Bullfinch

Long-tailed Tit

Female Blackbird

 

Killingworth

First time I have been to Killingworth Lake (it will not be the last) and I was lucky enough to get some shots of the Smew catching a fish. A nice male Goosander was on the same small lake until it flew off presumably to land on the larger lake. On the way back to the car I walked along side this larger lake getting shots of Goldeneye on the way.

Diving Smew

It caught a canny sized fish.

Surely the Smew (on the left) could not have spooked the Goosander.

Goosander

Swan taking off

Male Goldeneye

Female Goldeneye.