Juvenile Stonechat - Newport Wetlands

The sun shone and I grabbed the camera and got myself down to Newport Wetlands.

It wasn't the best photography day to be honest, which was frustrating as it was perfect light. I did get some nice ones of some Little Grebes and Gadwall, but this was the highlight of the day, but even this almost eluded me.

I had spied a family of Stonechats in the reed beds, they were flitting from reed stem to reed stem, so I got myself settled in and waited for them to come to me. Every time they did I got disturbed. Two joggers in day-glo outfits .. two cyclists, a dog walker with his dog off the lead and a man having a loud conversation on his mobile phone ... so very frustrating. They eventually flew over the sea wall and I thought that was it. I hung around and eventually this young one sat rather photogenically on a protruding stem. So it was worth it in the end.

I went on to Forest Farm for an hour, which was unusually quiet, and the highlight there were five Snipe from the hide with no door.

Not a bad day out when all was said and done ...