Fighting Depression!

I looked out of the bedroom window at first light this morning and could barely see the end of the road through the mist and drizzle, a sight which persisted to dusk at least when I stopped looking and continued the fight against depression which is setting in, the result of being house bound for far too long.

Oystercatcher. Pete Woodruff.

So some time spent reading in the hope I can expand my knowledge a little more about the birds, and some searching through old records and photographs which resulted in my finding - amongst many other things of interest - this picture of the brilliant leucistic Oystercatcher which I saw many years ago at Fluke Hall. 

When I first picked up this bird in flight before it landed in this field, without noting the bill I thought I was watching perhaps a Little Gull which this waders upperpart plumage details briefly resembled. It is one of many such birds - leucistic/melanistic/albino - I've seen over the years.      

Black-crowned Night Heron. Pete Woodruff.

Another bird of many years ago was this Night Heron which turned up on one of the pools at the University of Lancaster. I remember heading off to see this bird with John Leedal and managed one of my famous inferior shots. I was never able to take this individual seriously, as I recall it had wandered near and far and at the time was suspected to have been an escapee.

Carneddau Ponies. Gary Jones. 

Another trawl on the internet had me discovering GJ's New Year wanderings - camera and all - to get these wonderful images of the wild ponies to be found on the mountains of Wales. Do yourself a favour and find out about a way with a difference of celebrating the New Year on top of a mountain....fascinating stuff HERE thanks once again Gary.

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING....Maybe - hopefully - tomorrow.