Loch Leven Nature Reserve, 3 March 2013

We made a visit to Loch Leven Nature Reserve near Kinross in Fife today.  This site was (and perhaps still is) known in birdwatching circles as Vane Farm.

Big excitement today ....... I was trying out my new lens.  I picked up a Nikon 300mm f2.8 VRII lens yesterday along with a new Nikon 2.0TC III.  I couldn't wait to test it out.  It is a heavy beast and will take a bit of getting used to.  For today I kept it on a monopod without the TC.

As we were parking the car at the start of our visit a bus load of visitors arrived and streamed en-masse down to the hides by the loch.  I decided to give that part of the site a miss and set myself up around the feeders behind the entrance.

The usual woodland birds were on show.  Chaffinches, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Blue Tits, House Sparrows and Dunnocks.  There was one Goldfinch and a Treecreeper (new to me) there also.

Here are some of the photos, all taken with the Nikon 300mm f2.8:

Treecreeper

Goldfinch

Female House Sparrow