Kingfisher

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The crane park kingfishers seem to have been much shyer this year. There is at least one pair still on the river, but I've hardly seen them since February. So on Friday I headed up to Rye Meads RSPB reserve outside Hoddesdon to see if I could get closer to one of the pairs nesting there. It was a good day with lots of sightings, although due to the position of the hide I was not able to get as close as I have been in Crane Park. I took a fair few photos - but I think I must have been a bit to impatient because hardly any of them were really sharp. This was probably the best of the bunch. Looks like I need to go back again!

On joy in unexpected places...

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Last week I walked a section of the South West Coast Path with a friend of mine. To keep the weight of my pack down, I took the painful decision to travel without a long lens. This meant also deciding not to regret the various missed opportunities, but rather to enjoy the wildlife with my eyes rather than my camera. It also meant that our cross-country speed was much improved!

Badger

For the best wildlife encounter of the week, however, no long lens was required. Two badgers visited the patio of our B&B and came close enough for a decent shot even with my 17-85mm lens. I've never been this close to a wild badger, let alone photographed one. So, forty minutes of quality badger time was an unexpected joy - a handful of decent shots a thoroughly unexpected bonus. I had a silly grin on my face for most of the next morning...

Badger

Countdown to Falklands trip: 202 days to go