A trip to the Seaside

A few hours of sunshine on Tuesday afternoon had me reaching for my camera and scampering down to the coast at Seaton.

The Axe Estuary reserve has been extensively developed over the past few years and now offers sumptuous (relative term) hides and wheelchair-suitable paths. There are views over the estuary and over a number of inland lagoons. The most developed part has been at Black Hole Marsh. You can access the car park for this section by driving through Seaton Cemetery - there must be a joke here somewhere, but it eludes me, any offers?

As usual, when the weather is good, you can pretty much count on the bird activity being disappointingly quiet. It is part of that well known universal law of life. There was some movement however. This Shelduck came gliding over the tram line to land in a small pond.

Another bird well represented at Seaton is the Curlew. For some reason I never seem to see many photos of Curlews in flight. I think they are quite elegant and this one makes quite a dramatic sight against a brooding sky.

A blue sky lends a different mood to the following, otherwise almost identical, Curlew shot.

Generally, I think that bird enthusiasts, such as myself, struggle to make good bird photographers. There is a tendency to concentrate only on unusual species and to overlook the common everyday birds. This is a mistake as even birds as common as Black Headed Gulls can make a fine sight.

And finally for today, just as the light was fading and I was about to leave, this Herring Gull lumbered by with it feet and bill caked in mud. Obviously heading for the coastal roost and a good bath.

Please do visit my website to see more pics www.johncrabb.co.uk

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PS If anyone is interested in my views on the new Canon EOS 7D Mk2, please let me know and I will write a blog article.