Tusk!

Chinese Water Deer, Woodwalton Fen, 14.2.09. These deer don't go in for antlers, so instead the bucks get rather alarming sabre-teeth! Still , their bark is even worse...

Woodwalton Fen: Long-tailed Cutie

Woodwalton Fen: Marsh Harrier

Great White

I finally caught up with 'Sharky' the Great White Egret this morning. It is only the second GWE I have seen in the PBC area, so somewhat of a relief to connect (year list panicking having already set in...).
Both shots were digiscoped from the banks of the River Glen near Kate's Bridge (ie north of Baston, Lincs).

Fox in snow

On my cycle to work...

...I picked up a hitch hiker.

Runner-up

The birdwatchers of Cambridgeshire have voted – well some of them, at least. Thanks to all who voted for my photo of the Maxey Buff-breasted Sandpiper in mid-display, taken in early June 2008.

This digiscoped shot luckily caught the bird in mid-flash-a-Mac flash. It was doing the brief wing-flash display to no-one and nothing in particular every 15-20 minutes or so. The display lasted just a few seconds at maximum, and while I was digiscoping it, I had an inkling it was about to do it so hit the shutter and held it down for a few shots. Only one photo had the wings open, but it caught the moment pretty well (in my opinion). It really was a thrill to see this bird displaying and probably the birding highlight of my local year (and a very rare sight at all in the UK), so I am delighted to have a photographic reminder of the event.

Click the pic to see a much bigger version than I have previously posted.

It didn't get quite enough votes to take the first prize in the Cambridgeshire Bird Club Photograph of the Year 2008, but it did get runner-up. First place went to Garth Peacock's portarait of a Firecrest at Grafham Water (see here for more photos taken in Cambs).