Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Nikon D7200, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6

f/6.3, 1/500s, ISO 500, 500mm Norfolk May 2019

f/6.3, 1/1600s, ISO 400, 500mm

This is the species that got me into bird watching. Over 40 years ago a teacher at my primary school was a member of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and told us stories, including the one about the symbol of the RSBP, the Avocet. A bird that was practically extinct in the UK by the 1940's.

At this point (early 80's) it was recovering but still a rare sight in the UK.

Fast forward a few decades and I had the pleasure of seeing hundreds of these birds for the first time on the North Norfolk coast. No longer rare, they are a UK conservation success story and one that I have been glad to be able to photograph.