I had stopped to look through one of the screen hides at Burton Mere and at first glance there was virtually nothing to see but then I spotted this lovely Little Egret a little way off in the distance. I could see that it was working its way slowly towards me as it was searching for food so I hung around for a bit in the hope it would get close enough for me to get a few shots.
Well as you can see my patience paid off.
This is a really elegant bird with its pristine plumage and fierce long black beak. I love the plume on its head and the wispy feathers on its breast and back. Although here it looks perfectly still it was in fact shuffling its feet constantly stirring up tasty treats.
I used to see large flocks of Lapwings when I was younger but seem to see fewer of them now, this lone bird was patrolling the edge of the mere searching the muddy shoreline for scraps of food. I think this is a female, in winter plumage and she was constantly on the move and in these cold conditions I am sure the search for food never stops. I love the wispy crest, the gorgeous green feathers on her back and the markings on her face. I am amazed that a bird that spends so much time paddling around in the mud can keep its white feathers so clean and crisp.
I had been watching this Shoveler feeding along the edges of the mere. It swims low in the water dipping its characteristic broad beak under the surface to scoop up a tasty meal.
Then after a while it just stopped moving and I could tell it was shaping up to do something, I thought it was going to take flight so I was ready to try a shot of it taking to the air but instead it just had a good old shake to limber up those wings. It makes a nice series of pictures and I love the way he holds his head perfectly still, always alert for predators and the way he uses his tail feathers to maintain balance. I am sure that under the surface his feet are working away too but you can't tell from these shots.
I had gone to Burton Mere Wetland to do a spot of wildlife photography but I am always on the look out for a great shot and with these images today I think I have captured a couple of great landscape shots.
I knew as I looked up from the path towards the railway embankment that with the sun breaking through the low afternoon clouds the fence and the tree would make a good image and swapping my long lens for a smaller wide angle zoom I got the shot I wanted and the lighting works really well.
I swapped my lens back with the intention of going up to Burton Point where I had heard short eared owls can often be spotted but as I approached the path up the hill I changed back to the wide angle for this super shot with the suns rays stretching out highlighting to copse of trees and the break in the wall. I love this shot and I love the swirl of the clouds. I wasn't lucky enough to see any owls but to be honest I think this shot more than makes up for that.
It was also nice to see the Iron Age fort where once there was a small family settlement.
Today's shot was taken at Burton Mere Wetlands on Thursday afternoon, just as I arrived this noisy flock of Canada Geese flew in. I love to see geese in flight, the way the birds work together and the shapes they make and of course the noise as they announce their arrival before splashing down.
Without a doubt today's choice matches yesterday's selection for cuteness. As I said then, the Robin is probably just about everybody's favourite garden and woodland bird but the Blue Tit is also probably high up on most people's list. I love it when I spot them visiting the feeders in my garden and I have friends who have them nesting in their garden year on year and it is always great to hear about the progress of each brood.
This little chap was sat in a tree above my head at Mere Sands Wood and I almost missed him while I was looking in the lower branches and the bushes around me. I am glad that I did spot him though because he sat long enough for me to get some lovely shots
It would be hard to argue against the Robin being everybody's favourite bird and these three spotted in Mere Sands Woods help confirm just how beautiful and endearing the Robin is.
Last year I took a photo of a fledgling Robin in the same spot as the first of today's images and given how territorial Robins are I wonder whether this is the same bird, it is nice to think that it is.
The second of today's Robins was a noisy and curious little chap and he looks in fine condition.
As I was stood on the path watching the birds I spoke with a couple of other visitors to the reserve and together we tried to tempt one to feed off our hands. We managed to tempt him to a small pile of seeds and mealworms on the floor at our feet but he couldn't be persuaded onto a hand.
The first of today's pictures is of a cute little male Reed Bunting with a beak full of seed, he really is a handsome chap but I think the female in the next two images is actually a much prettier bird.
They are so delicate and light and I love the way they cling to the reeds. I like the way they use their long tails to keep their balance and love the expression on the face, particularly in the third picture as the bird is looking directly at the camera.
Tomorrow I will get back to posting pictures of birds but I just wanted to share this shot of a rush in full seed. I love the wispy, fluffiness of this plant growing on the waters' edge. It was quite a windy day so it took a few attempts to capture a sharp image as the grasses and rushes were blowing about so much.
I really like this image and hope you do too.
I had gone to Brockholes to shoot photos of the bird life there and I wasn't planning on photographing anything else but while waiting near a reed bed for some action I spotted these fluffy willow buds emerging as an early sign of spring. I always go out prepared with a selection of lenses just in case opportunities like this turn up so I changed from my big zoom to my macro lens and snapped a few shots.
I think these are really nice images, I love the texture of the buds and I like the way the buds seem to climb, curling upwards around the stem. I also like them because they are a promise that spring with warmer weather is not far away.
Yesterday I posted a selection of shots of a beautiful male Kestrel at Brockholes, if you missed them take a few minutes to have a look because I am really pleased with them and think you will be too. I have lots more so at some point I will most likely post a few more of my favourites.
For today I have selected a couple of shots of a wonderful Song Thrush, and in the first image he is in full song. He was quite a way off but his song was so clear and loud it was impossible to ignore him. Sadly we don't see as many of these lovely birds as we once did so it was a nice treat to be able to stand for a while listening as he filled the air with his beautiful song (click the link to listen)
These were shot at 600 mm and with the low light and the crop factor these pictures are a little grainy but nevertheless they are really nice. The third shot is of a different bird and he was a little closer but in his search for food he was still keeping a safe distance from me.
A few weeks ago I shared a series of photos taken at an owl and bird of prey sanctuary and while it was a thrill to see so many beautiful birds of prey up close it cannot match the thrill of seeing one of these birds close up in the wild.
Today was my first chance to get out with my camera for a while and I was hoping for some good photo opportunities. I went to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust reserve at Brockholes near Preston.
Top of my list of species I hoped to see was the Kestrel and so I was really excited to see this male Kestrel as I pulled into the car park. The bird in all four pictures is the same one, the first image though was taken at the start of the day when it was very dull, the other shots were taken about an hour later when the bird was tempted back by a handful of tasty mealworms put out by another visitor.
As you can see from the second shot he didn't waste any time at all snatching his first mouthful before he had even settled on the post and then in the third shot that expression seems to say "stay back, these worms are mine!"
These pictures were shot at 300mm (or thereabouts) but with fairly low shutter speeds and high ISO because of the poor light meaning they are a little grainy. I was able to get really close though so I haven't needed to crop these pictures at all.
Here is another shot from my day out at The Roaches in Staffordshire. I originally posted this picture in June 2016 but looking back at that image I think it looks a bit flat so I have reworked it to bring out the qualities that I saw on the day.
I like the reflections of the rocks and cotton grass in the pool, I love the shape of the rocks as they lean lazily away from the viewer and I like the layers of cloud that bring the image together.
I really like this image and I am glad that I have revisited it and brought out the best in it.
This shot of a solitary tree was taken in June 2016 on a walk with my daughter around the Roaches and Lud's Church in the Peak District. It was a great day out and the scenery was spectacular.
Today the weather has been a real mixture of cold and wet with heavy rain hail and sleet at times followed by clear blue skies and now it is a clear and starry night with the promise of a hard frost in the morning. It would have been nice to get pout with my camera this afternoon but work appointments got in the way so here is another shot from my recent trip to the Lake District with a view of Derwent Water and Causey Pike in the background.
I love the shine off the surface of the lake and the contrast between the layers of light throughout the image.
As well as shooting pictures of the whole stone circle at Castlerigg I selected this stone for special treatment. I loved the colour and shape of the stone and from this perspective I think it makes a great image.
The stones at Castlerigg have been standing for around 5000 years and when they were erected they must have served a purpose, perhaps for a ritual with some spiritual meaning. Now they are cold, abandoned and mysterious. But a closer look at the stones show them to be host to colonies of moss and lichens which give them rich tapestry of layers of colour and texture.
Here is another shot that I have tried a little extra work on in Lightroom.
As with yesterday's image the original file was a bit dull and flat although the overall composition as you can see is very nice with the jetties reflected in the still water and the snowy hills in the background.
I was keen to see if I could make something of the image and I think I have done a decent job. There is now a nice warm tone to the overall image and with a little adjustment to the clarity there is more detail particularly in the centre of the shot where you can see the boathouse on Derwent Isle.
A few weeks ago I went to Snowdonia on a cold and grey day hoping to find some snow and some great landscape shots. Unfortunately it was a very grey day and the light didn't lend itself to the task I had set myself so when I got home I found most of the images I had taken were a bit dull and didn't really reflect the beauty that I had hoped to capture.
Up until now I have only ever done the most basic editing of my images in Lightroom, in part I have been afraid to try new settings/adjustments and in part I have told myself that if I didn't get it right in camera then it is cheating to mess with the image too much.
When we look at any image that is printed or online there has been some degree of editing or post production and as long as we are honest about that it doesn't matter what we do if the final result is a decent picture.
If the original composition is off then no amount of post production is going to make it a brilliant image so having a good eye is a key skill and an important starting point. With this picture I would say the composition is spot on. However even though the composition is good the colours and the contrast in the original image was affected by the poor light and for weeks I have overlooked this image having decided it wasn't worth sharing.
Today however I wanted to explore the possibilities in this image and I have experimented with different settings in Lightroom to bring the image to life. I have practised on a few other shots too and I will be sharing them over the next few days.
You can only see the finished product but when I have shown people the before and after images their responses have been really positive, surprised that such a vibrant image could come from the original picture.
You may remember (if you saw it that is) that in a recent post I spoke about how I had watched the film and read the book Kes which inspired my love of birds of prey. On that occasion I shared some pictures of a beautiful female kestrel and so today here are a couple of shots of a young male kestrel.
It is a small yet powerful bird but hunched up on its perch it looks quite timid. Close up though you can see its piercing eyes and vicious looking beak.
I just love these little birds and I love to see them hovering along the roadside or hedgerows while hunting for their prey.
Visiting a bird of prey centre once I was told that kestrels (and possibly other birds I don't remember) are able to track prey, such as mice, through the grass by being able to detect the trail of urine that mice leave behind. How's that for an interesting fact of the day.
Here is another shot of one of the Dunham Massey stags. It really is such a beautiful creature and I was so lucky to be able to get close and appreciate how truly beautiful it is.
It is easy to forget seeing them so close that these are wild not domestic animals. Because they live in a large estate where there are lots of visitors they have become used to people but while they are not as timid as deer that truly live wild for example in the New Forest or Forest of Dean or in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland they can still be skittish and need to be treated with just as much respect.
I think that herds like this are an important part of our nations wildlife and really are a national treasure.
I have called today's post "At Rest" but really while this stag was resting quite peacefully he was constantly on alert watching out for the small of herd of doe's that were feeding nearby. What I didn't realise at the time I was taking this shot was that inside the "den" of branches and wooden stakes next to the stag there was a young fawn exploring.
I haven't been out with my camera for a couple of weeks due to poor weather and also feeling under the weather so I am hoping for a good spell this weekend. In the meantime I am really grateful that I have had some good opportunities earlier this year to keep me going.
These three shots were taken along the impressive Whinlatter Pass which after a drive through the Honister Pass was actually quite refreshingly easy. I didn't stop to take pictures along the Honister pass as the conditions were quite scary and when I reached the end of the pass there were signs warning that from that direction (the Buttermere end) the road was closed.
Along the Whinlatter pass however it was a bit clearer and while snowy and icy in places it was nowhere near as difficult and the views as you can see were spectacular.
Here is another view of the Castlerigg stone circle looking across to the snow covered slopes of Helvellyn.
I am drawn back to the images from my recent day in the lake district and especially to this wonderful ancient site.
You can see how this was getting towards the end of the day as the sun was low in the sky (off to the right) and the shadows were forming on the snowy fells. The fading light really adds to the atmosphere of this place and I wonder what might have happened here thousands of years ago when it was first constructed.
I love black and white photography and this superb shot of Skiddaw and Derwent Water is a good example of why I love it so much.
Landscapes don't always lend themselves to black and white because the colours are usually really important. In this image the sky was a beautiful blue and the snowy fells a brilliant white (have a look at the picture I posted on 27th January to see what I mean) so it would look great as a colour image too. However it also works exceptionally well in black and white with the shiny reflection and the crisp lines.
The title for today's post was suggested by my youngest son and I think it fits really well as these bracket fungi do look rather like shells clinging to the trunk of the tree.
I am feeling a bit rough today and I don't have a lot to say so I will just leave you to enjoy the pictures.
I have seen lots of pictures taken from this spot before but had never realised where it was but now I know I will probably be back to take more pictures in future.
The thing with landscape shots is that no matter how many times a particular scene is snapped every picture will be different, whether it is because of the angle or the perspective chosen, the detail in the sky, whether there is snow or no snow, the position of the sun and so on.
I saw a picture posted by someone on instagram just the other day and it was very similar to the second of my shots today (although these were taken a few weeks ago) and the photographer had commented on the tripod marks in the ground indicating that this was a well photographed location and in particular this view. But there is nothing wrong with that, often landscape images can look like holiday snaps as a friend of mine will often tell me, but retaking a good scene to get a perfect image can be a worthwhile challenge.
I love this scene and I think it would look good with a clear blue sky or with fluffy white clouds reflected in the lake which is probably how it looked later in the day, but here with an overcast sky and the sun fighting to break through the muted colours make for a really atmospheric image.
I took this shot because I wanted to use the posts supporting the jetty to lead the eye towards the snowy fells (Causey Pike) in the distance and I think that works quite well.
I also liked the fact that the gulls were sitting on top of the posts giving life to the image but what I hadn't fully appreciated until I got the pictures home was that the gulls were sitting on alternate posts all the way along and in fact there had been another gull on the post immediately to my left out of shot but it flew off just as I arrived.
It was a cold morning and walking along the jetty was quite a risky business because it was incredibly slippery. I think it was worth it though.
