Christmas seems to get earlier and earlier each year - or is it because I am getting older, it just seems like it!!! Anyway, with visiting relatives and preparing for the big event, I doubt that I will manage any more photos until the new year.

I have managed to get out a couple of times over the past week or so with a trip to Norfolk on the 4th. i was hoping for some better photos of the Twite on the old posts at Thornham and probably drinking and bathing in the large puddle in the car park. I parked the car in the prime position to shoot from it but after an hour or so there was no sign of them. I then noticed another photographer that I knew and he went straight to the posts where one appeared almost immediately. Sods law strikes again so I joined him but no further sign until they came to drink just near the car. All I managed was a few distant shots.

Later on, I noticed a Linnet perched on a stalk but into the sun - well backlit is the thing to do these days!!!

After that, contrary to the weather forecast, the clouds came in. Too dark for anything reasonable so I went home early.

Yesterday, I went to one of my localish reserves, Welney to see if the reported White-fronted Geese and Bean Geese were around. Unfortunately they had moved to the RSPB reserve at Ouse Washes where they are usually too distant to photograph so I drew a blank there. With the weather alternating between dark clouds and brightish sunshine, I concentrated on the local Pochard population, mostly male with just the odd female. Haven't photographed a Pochard for a couple of years so about time.

There was the usual group of Greylag Geese. I ignored them until they started to create a racket. A couple were fighting (or probably mating - difficult to know which) with others looking on creating the noise. It resembled a prize fight.

and then the victor decided to announce it's presence.

That's all for 2018. Lets look forward to some action in the new year.