Shoveler Studies

A few pics from the brief period of sunshine this afternoon, while I was visiting the centre of the birding universe (also known as Wanstead). I’ve usually found Shoveler to be quite wary, but this smart drake was more interested in preening than worrying about me.

I also nearly bumped into a particularly tame fox, but am still kicking myself for not having the camera on sensible settings! This is what happens when you handhold a 400mm lens with a shutter speed of 1/50 – not recommended for capturing sharp detail…

And then, after the sunshine, the weather reminded us that it’s still the boss with an impressive (at times painful) hailstorm!