Early morning happiness!

29/5/08 Denver Sluice - Simeon

I was all over the place in the last few days so I decided to keep it local today and got up at 5:00am to go to Denver Sluice. The usual stuff was about; Turtle Dove (2), Cuckoo (2), Great-Crested Grebe (5), and the normal warblers; Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Blackcap. It was nice, but nothing special. Then, a Roe Deer walked through a field and stopped at the edge of a ditch. It gave really good views and allowed me to get some lovely shots of it:

About half way along the main bank, I heard the "peep....peep" call of Oystercatcher and looked up to see 4 birds going South following the river. At the end of the bank a Grey Heron flew over me and I noticed a Fox walking across the cow field. I quickly set up my scope and got awesome views of it eating something it had cought. I was really lucky to get the views I did and of course, I managed a few shots!

It didn't seem afraid of me at all and eventually wandered into the nearby hedgerow - maybe it had a litter in there? The final highlight was just after I had photographed the Fox. I was standing looking at my photos when I heard a familiar wader call above me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it! Looking up, I spotted two birds and got my bins on them as soon as I could. They were Avocets! Not the rarest of birds, but very nice ones, and they were a first for the Sluice! I returned home after a bit more photography very happy...

Above: Jackdaw

Below: Mallard