Long Tailed Duck at the Fitties.

I don't normally chase rarities and I am just as happy photographing common species and local landscapes.  When there is on on your doorstep, however, it would be churlish not to take advantage. So this morning saw me completing my share of the housework as quickly as possible and driving down the coast at the Fitties end of Cleethorpes on the edge of the Tetney Marshes RSPB reserve where the bird, a female in winter plumage, had been in residence for a few days.  The sun had gone by the time I arrived and it was cold and bleak.  I saw plenty of mallard on the lake, or series of lagoons, a pochard and three teal.  There were plenty of brent geese flying around and large numbers of waders on the tideline.  the courlie call of a curlew echoed across the marsh making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but no long tailed duck.  I met up with a lady bird watching on the marsh but she hadn't seem it either.  Back to the drawing board thought I.  Just then my phone rang.  It was a wildlife photography friend, Dave Newby, who had just turned up and seen me out on the marsh.  Where would we be without mobiles.  I wandered back to the car park and we elected to have a look round the other side of the lake.  Sure enough my lady birdwatcher had got it spotted in the bottom corner.  Settling down we waited for it to come to us, which it did.  In fact it came so close I had to take off the 1.4 converter from my 500 lens and still could not get it in!!  We did all get some good shots, though, so all was well.  It was just a pity that there was no sun which meant there was a lot of glare off the water making exposure decisions difficult.  If the sun shines tomorrow, in the words of General McArthur, I may return.

To see the images large, click on one of the pictures.