Primate Portrait

Tamron 150mm - 600mm f/5 - 6.3

ISO500   450mm   f/6.3    1/200 sec

I really love this portrait of a Sulawesi Crested Macaque, he is sat in a very thoughtful pose and was intently watching the activity in the enclosure.

You may remember that in 2014 there was a lot of fuss generated over the copyright issues related to a selfie taken by a Crested Macaque just like this but I can guarantee this photo is all my own work and there is no doubt about who owns the copyright.

They are a critically endangered species with just 5,000 left in the world and just 2,000 left in the rainforests of Sulawesi. This represents an 80% decline in the population in just 30 years as a result of habitat loss.

Evening Sun

So tonight I am sharing a selection of pictures captured using my mobile phone.

I had gone for a walk after dinner to try and clear my head after a couple of stressful days. It was quite cool due to the strong wind but the scenery was beautiful as the sun was setting across Liverpool Bay and although I was walking quite fast I couldn't ignore the wonderful views and it certainly helped to release some of the stress.

I'm so lucky to live so close to the sea and we get a lot of fantastic sunsets just like this.

Walking away from the seafront I noticed the moon reflecting the last of the sunlight creating what I think is a pink and blue sky. I know that I may very well be wrong about the colours but whatever the colours this is a beautiful sky and a beautiful end to my day.

Down Low

Tamron 150mm - 600mm f/5 - 6.3

ISO 400   600mm   f/6.3   1/640 sec

When I first spotted this beautiful male Great Crested Grebe from my favourite hide at Mere Sands I thought that it might have been sitting on a nest but actually he is just sitting really low behind the reeds.  He's really beautiful and I hope that he found a mate although he didn't appear to be doing too well on this particular day.

Thirsty Bird

Tamron 150 - 600 mm f/5 - 6.3

ISO 500    600mm   f/6.3    1/200 sec

This solitary Carrion Crow looks very regal standing proud on the path through the woods. He had been watching me from a perch high up in a tree but as I passed beneath him he flew down to take a drink. I approached cautiously not wanting to scare him away and was pleased that he didn't feel threatened by me and allowed me to get fairly close.

Doesn't he look smart with his little white bib? Also look closely at those beautiful feathers across his shoulders.

Just two More

Tamron 150mm - 600mm f/5 -6.3

ISO 1000   213mm    f/6.3    1/250sec

ISO 1000    329mm     f/6.3     1/250sec

So tomorrow I will post something other than squirrels but I wanted to share just a couple more before moving on, after all they are so lovely.

In the first picture the squirrel had found something tasty on the forest floor but in the second I had tempted him down with a handful of seeds. 

I just love being outdoors and spotting these little fellas was a real treat.

No Apologies

Tamron 150mm-600mm f/5 - 6.3

ISO 1000   329mm    f/6.3   1/250 sec

ISO 1000   600mm    f/6.3    1/250

I said yesterday that I have well over 100 pictures from my morning walk at the Formby squirrel sanctuary and I can't not share them (well some of them anyway).

I think they're so cute and looking at them now these little critters make me smile and remind me of a wonderful woodland walk.

Everybody go... Ahhhh!

Tamron 150mm - 600mm F5 - 6.3

ISO 1000     428mm   f/6.3    1/250 sec

I have really enjoyed posting shots over the past few days from my visit to Ness Gardens. It has been particularly rewarding because several of the posts have been shared by Ness Gardens and that has really expanded the reach of my blog.

I have however been itching to share some of the pictures of Red Squirrels at the Formby National Trust site. I have well over 100 pictures from my early morning visit so I will share a few of them over the next few days. Narrowing my selection is not easy because there are some cracking shots so hopefully you will come back tomorrow to see more.

I had a lovely time, I arrived early in order to have the place pretty much to myself but the problem with that was that the light wasn't great in the dense woodland but as time went on this improved and with the right settings I think I was able to get some lovely shots of these beautiful and endearing creatures.

Having taken a good number of pictures I wandered off into the dunes and sat for a while enjoying the sun and looking out to sea.  It was a perfect day.

Bursting Into Life

Canon 100mm 1:2.8   ISO 125    f/3.5   1/160 sec

Canon 100mm 1:2.8   ISO200   f/5.6   1/125 sec

Canon 100mm 1:2.8   ISO 200   f/5.6   1/80 sec

So these were taken a few weeks ago so by now these trees at Ness Gardens will be in full bloom but I think the buds are so beautiful they deserve a post of their own.

The first picture is a fluffy Magnolia bud, it is so soft and tactile and really beautiful and is a lovely prelude to the wonderfully lush blossoms that follow.

The second and third images show the buds of Hamamelis Intermedia "Jelena". They are fascinating flowers with yellow tendrils that look almost like strips of tissue paper but are really soft to the touch.

I don't really know much if anything about plants and gardening but I do know there is so much beauty to see throughout the year and as much as I long for the spring and summer months when we get so much variety and colour I also love to look for photo opportunities such as these all year round.

Blue Glory

Canon 100 1:2.8  ISO125   f/3.5  1/160sec

When I spotted these beautiful blue flowers I thought they were Turkish Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) a flower I have photographed before however I am not so sure.

The central element of Glory of the Snow is white with yellow stamen but here you can see the centre is grey with a blue tip. 

I have tried to identify them but I just can't be certain. Whatever they are they're really lovely and a nice splash of colour to show that spring is definitely here. I had to get dirty getting right down to snap these shots but I think it was worth it.

Gnarly

Canon 100mm 1:2.8  ISO 125   f/2.8   1/200 sec

I chose to take this in black and white because although the bark was a nice shade of brown I think the textures of this gnarly truck look more effective in monochrome.

Just in case you are wondering what species of tree this is I can tell you...

It is a Metasequoia glyptostroboides  also known as the Dawn Redwood it is a fast growing deciduous conifer which is endangered and apparently the only living species of the genus Metasequoia. It was too early in the season to get a good idea of how it looks in full foliage but I think the bark makes a great image.

New Shoots

Canon 100mm 1:2.8     ISO 200     f/3.5    1/200sec

By now these buds will be fully open and the sapling will no doubt be awash with leaves. I am not 100% certain but I think these are Sycamore buds. (If you know for sure please let me know in the comments).

I love the shape of these buds and the way the green and red scales open out as the leaf emerges in a blush of colour. There is so much detail in the newly forming leaf, it is quite amazing when you look closely at it. Looking at the second image it looks a bit like marine life, a shrimp or a barnacle perhaps. Or is that just my imagination?

Rough Exterior

Canon 100mm 1:2.8  ISO 200 f/3.5 1/200sec

Photography in a garden doesn't have to be about flowers and bright colours. There is so much more to see and texture is just as important as colour as you can see from this really nice abstract image of bark. I don't know what tree this is but I really like this image.

Sleepy Duck

Tamron 150mm-600mm F/5-6.3

ISO 400  600mm  f/6.3  1/250 sec 

ISO 400  600mm  f/6.3  1/640 sec

These are male tufted ducks spotted at Burton Mere Wetlands. They have lovely plumage and even though they are just black and white the markings are really quite striking. This is set off by the bold orange eyes, which stand out all the way across the mere.

You can see that the bird in the first shot sleeps with his eye open, not a bad idea I guess although I am not sure what predators might pose a risk in this spot.

In the second image you can clearly see how the duck gets its name.

Native Beauty

canon 100mm 1: 2.8 ISO 200 f/3.5 1/320sec

canon 100mm 1: 2.8 ISO 200 f/3.5 1/320

canon 100mm 1:2.8 ISO 200 f/5.0 1/200sec

Here are a few more shots from Ness Botanic Gardens. As I said yesterday there wasn't a great deal of colour in the beds but there was plenty to find if you looked around. Yesterdays Crocuses were scattered beneath the trees on the lawns near the visitors centre where the grass was cut fairly short.

These beautiful Primroses were lower down in the gardens and in slightly longer grass a little way off the path. They could have easily been missed so I am glad that I spotted them because they are real gems in the garden.

They are native plants and fairly widespread and they are a welcome sign that spring is well on the way. I love the delicate pale yellow heart shaped petals with the vibrant centre and the crinkly green leaves.  

Sugar Coated

Canon 100mm 1:2.8   ISO 250   f/8.0   1/320 sec

Canon 100mm 1:2.8  ISO 250   f/5.6   1/250sec

So OK, these are not really sugar coated but I do think they look like they have been dipped in lemon or orange sherbet.

Can you tell what they are?

They're Crocuses, the last of the season I think at Ness Botanic Gardens.  

I had gone along hoping for lots of spring colour but I was a bit too early in the year as most of the beds were being prepared for fresh planting. I thought at first that I would be disappointed however as I walked around the gardens I found pockets of colour and new growth as well as some interesting bark patterns to photograph.

I have included the camera settings under each picture and these images are cropped from the larger images because I really wanted to highlight the beautiful detail at the heart of these flowers.

Flying Together

Here are a couple of shots of a pair of Canada Geese in flight, they had just taken off from the wetlands at Burton Mere and I think they look magnificent. It amazes me that such bulky birds manage to get off the ground and still look so elegant.

In the second image you can see that the geese are communicating with each other, they were certainly making a lot of noise but I am sure they weren't just making noise but they were actually "talking". Perhaps the lead goose was saying "keep up".

These shots were taken with my Tamron 150mm - 600mm F/5 - 6.3 lens

ISO250 600mm f/8.0 1/640sec

I have decided that I will try to include more details re the settings for the pictures I share,  I know that some of you won't really be interested in that so I will include this detail at the end of each post or maybe under each picture. It really is for my benefit because I think if I pay more attention to these settings it will help me review the things that work well and what I might need to do differently in future.

Patient Hunter

I was really lucky a few weeks ago as I was able to get out with my camera several times during a week off work and I got loads of great shots. I then had a bit of a lull until today when I went out to Formby and the National Trust reserve there to photograph the red squirrels. I had a lovely time and I can hardly wait to share some of the pictures because I can promise there are some really good ones.

However I still have lots from my week in March to share so I will have to wait, and therefore so will you.

I still have some good shots from my last visit to the zoo as well but for today I am mixing things up with a couple of shots of this magnificent Little Egret who was using the utmost stealth in his search for a tasty meal at the RSPB reserve at Burton Mere.

I like both of these images but I really like the second shot because of the birds' pose and also the warm colouring which has been achieved by shooting through the reeds which reflect some of the morning sunlight.

I was able to watch the bird for several minutes and I can say that he was a very successful hunter.

Beautiful Big Cat

Wow

This is one of my favourite big cats and I think these are really lovely pictures, especially the second shot.

I love the expression on his face, he is very clearly concentrating on something as he was patrolling his territory.

Hide n Seek

I love this shot of a Bush Dog peeping out from its underground den. He was uncertain whether to come out and join the rest of the pack or not and he kept popping in and out before  finally making the decision to come out to play.

These little creatures are really playful and it is fun to watch them running around often playing a game of follow the leader but here it is much more a game of hide n seek.

Creeping Around

I love robins, they're so photogenic and ridiculously cute. Whenever I post pictures of robins I can see how popular they are with other people too so I never hesitate to take pictures when I get the chance. So here are two really lovely pictures which I hope you will like too.

The third picture is of a tree creeper. These little birds are quite elusive and there are many times when I search the upper branches and trunks of trees searching for one only to catch a fleeting glimpse before it disappears out of sight so when I spotted this one I couldn't miss the chance to capture the shot. Even though it is not the best shot I couldn't help but share it because it is the first picture of a tree creeper I have ever captured.

Dabbling

The teal is a surface feeding duck dabbling on the surface for seeds or upending to feed just below the surface on small snails or insect larvae.

They are quite small and tend to flock together in small social groups.

As with most birds the males are much more brightly coloured that the females as can be seen in the second picture.

They really are beautiful birds but the teal also gives its name to a colour but looking at these pictures I wonder what the colour teal actually is. I am told it is the stripe around and behind his eye...

So Serene

I don't think anyone can deny these are truly beautiful birds. They are so elegant in the water, they glide along seemingly without effort and then they power themselves into a dive without a splash before surfacing in a distant spot usually with a minnow or small fish in their powerful dagger like bill.

The diving also forms part of the courtship ritual that can be observed at this time of year but instead of fish they come to the surface with weed in their bills which they offer to each other.

I really enjoyed watching these birds as they serenely cruised past bringing a splash of colour and beauty.

Shelduck On The Wing

Today I wanted to continue the theme of birds in flight and today's choice of bird is the beautiful Shelduck. 

These were some way off and so I have cropped in quite close to get the best image. You can see from the first two pictures the fantastic markings on the underside of these handsome birds, seen here in breeding plumage. In the  first two images we have a male bird and in the other two shots there are two males and one female. The way they can be distinguished from each other is the male has a raised knob on its bright red bill.

These birds are more commonly seen around coastal estuaries so seeing them at Mere Sands was a treat. They will be busy rearing their broods of 8 to 10 young around about now. They like to nest in a variety of places including in holes on the ground, under brambles or between straw bales but they are also known to nest in trees.

They like to hang around in small family groups but can be seen in larger groups towards the end of the summer before the adults head off to the North Sea where they moult.

Living on the coast I am quite used to seeing these birds but surprisingly I haven't photographed them very often but having taken the time to find out a little more about them today I am inclined to go out and look for them again quite soon.