Palace Gardens

 In February 2020 I visited Vienna, it was my second time in the city and despite the cold it was still great to be there.

One place that I visited was Schonbrunn Palace and spent some time exploring the extensive grounds which are a public park and there is even a zoo.

The building itself is a rich warm yellow which obviously doesn't come across in the picture above but perhaps I will find some more images to share that will bring to colours to life. For this image however I have made a slight adjustment to the exposure and a given it a very slight tweak in curves (very much an experiment for me as I rarely go beyond the simplest of edits) to create what I think is a nice overall effect.

I was impressed by the long pergola and I would love to see it when the flowers are in full bloom but in the middle of the winter I think the beauty in the image comes from the structure itself and the perspective towards the archway at the end of the path. I did a creative edit of this image in 2020 and posted it under the title four square so if you felt inclined you could take a look at that too.

On The Move

 I think I am spoiling you yet again with this selection.

This great white egret is such a stunning bird and having shared the pictures in my previous post of the bird actually feeding these shots show it in the process of hunting and were all taken moments before it caught a fish.

In flight the egret keeps its long neck tucked back over its body and its legs outstretched but when hunting it keeps its neck stretched forwards as it remains focused on its target.

There is so much that I like about these images, the graceful shape of the bird with wings outstretched, the movement in the feather; as they are affected by the updraft when it lands and the way the ends of the feathers curl upwards as they act as air brakes, I like the blue tint on the feathers in certain light, and the warm glow of the wings as they are backlit by the afternoon sun and then in the final image I like the shadow of the birds curled neck seen through the wing.

It was hard to walk away as this beautiful bird continued to fish close by but I hoe you will agree that the pictures I have shared over the last few days have made it worth the time I spent observing and photographing it. It felt like a real privilege to be there at just the right time.

Gone Fishing

 Have you ever sat for hours on a river bank drowning maggots? (I mean fishing of course!) It can be a nice relaxing experience and it is obviously great when you manage to catch something but there can be long periods when you catch nothing but unless your life depends upon it you can walk away at the end of the day and wish for better luck next time.

For this Egret however his life literally does depend upon a decent catch so finding the right spot , at the right time is essential.

Although part of the heron family the Egret takes a different approach to fishing to the grey heron who will stand patiently in one spot (much like the dedicated fisherfolk on the river banks) waiting for a meal to pass by and then with lightning speed and great precision it will dart forward with its long neck and powerful bill and snatch a fish, or amphibian from the water. I have even seen one catch a rat and swallow it whole. The Egret on the other hand takes a more active approach and will stir up the water a little bit or flap from one spot to another, pause, search and then move on, or it will walk slowly , head facing down looking for something in the shallows.

The egret in the pictures above had certainly picked a good time to be in the spot he chose because while I was watching he caught 4 fish, all a fairly decent size. 

Great White (Egret not Shark)

 I had pretty much given up on my visit to Burton Mere yesterday. I had managed a few shots of geese in flight and I had watched a pair of Marsh Harriers flying off over the reed bed but there was not much else within range to photograph. To cap it all I twisted my ankle and had decided to call it a day.

On the walk back to the car park I stopped briefly at one of the screens where I had seen a Little Grebe and a Great White Egret before. The grebe was on show but with the sun directly in front of me all I could get was a silhouette. Then this egret flew down and started fishing close enough that I could get a few pictures. I watched as it caught several fish and I managed to get several good shots of it with wings extended, fish in its beak or just stood poised regally with one eye watching for its next catch. I actually took over 100 images while I was watching so it was a good end to what had otherwise been a disappointing trip.

The images above are variations on just one shot, the penultimate shot of the day.

Obviously the first one is rotated through 90 degrees and I have converted it to black and white. I have cropped it slightly to centre the image and I have added a slight vignette. I am always on the lookout for heart shapes in nature and when I took the original photo I knew that I would be able to create the above image and I am super happy with the result.

The other pictures are, as I say from the same shot, they have been given slightly different edits but apart from the change to black and white for one and the addition of the vignette there is very little change to the actual raw data.

Handle With Care

 When I saw, from a distance, the new shoots of the flowers in the first two pictures I thought they were crocus coming through however as I approached I realised they were not crocus but more like a variety of Iris. I was a little taken aback though because the irises that I am familiar with are tall and showy but these were small and rather understated.

As I walked around the garden I found other varieties too but in larger numbers (especially the yellow variety) and where they were planted together they were definitely more showy, like their taller cousins.

The first variety (pics 1-3) is Iris reticulata "Sheila Ann Germaney", the second variety (the yellow) is Iris reticulata "Katharine's Gold" and the third variety (the purple as if you needed that spelling out) is Iris histrioides "George".

These are not native to the UK but you can buy the bulbs to plant them in your own garden should you wish. A word of warning though, as hinted at in the title of today's post these plants come with a health warning. If ingested they may cause severe discomfort and it is advisable to wear gloves and "other protective equipment" when handling them. Who'd have thought eh?

Head To Head

Although it was fairly sunny as the afternoon progressed, in the shady woodland around Dunham Massey the light was limited and so a very high ISO (4000) was needed to get these shots so they are soft and perhaps lacking in definition. That being said they are still quite nice images of some of the deer that call Dunham Massey home (or whatever the deer equivalent for "home" is).

The larger stags hang out together in small groups while the young bucks also group together and the females and last years foals form small family groups and could be found scattered through the woods.

Although the herd is used to the visitors to the park they are still wild animals and very timid and always on high alert so getting close was quite a challenge. It was quite rewarding though, especially when the two bucks started sparring with each other. It was clear that it was not a serious fight but they were definitely testing each other out as well as getting to grips with their new antlers.
 

Along the Route des Vins

Alsace is a remarkably beautiful region of France with the rivers, mountains, forests and vineyards and along the wine route there are many wonderful towns with narrow streets, and colourful houses.

One such town is Berghiem which is in the valley below the château du Haut Koenigsbourg. It is a quiet little town surrounded by vineyards.

The gate tower stands at one end of the main street and while there is no gate to bar the way now the town has a defensive wall and moat and the houses that encircle the town have stood for centuries.
 

In A Flap

 

The other day I shared some pictures of Ducks and Swans. While I was trying to get some shots of the tufted duck a couple of young families came close by and started throwing food out for the ducks and it was lovely to see the children's excitement as the birds started to feed.

Their excitement changed to alarm when a flock of black headed gulls descended to join the party.

I have included the first few images just to show the mayhem however the last few pictures I think are quite nice as they capture the motion of the birds as they were either taking off or coming in to land in the hunt for a free meal.

Medieval Murals

 

These are from my 2018 road trip (I will go back to my Dunham Massey and Chirk photos in a day or so) and are from the Chateau du Haut Koenigsbourg in Alsace which was the region I visited after Annecy. I have recently shared some photos of this castle take during a visit last year but on that visit I didn't get to take many internal views.

This magnificent castle sits high on a hilltop with panoramic views across the Rhine valley with vineyards all around and Germany on the horizon. It has seen conflict many times in its history and the castle as it stands today is the result of significant investment and skilful restoration.

One of the features that impressed me was the ornate artwork on the walls where, as in the first image you can see even the vaulted ceiling is decorated. The interior shots of the banqueting hall are quite stunning with the highly decorated ceiling and walls as well as the heraldry and impressive chandeliers. As a place where honoured friends and guests would be entertained it makes sense that no expense has been spared on the decoration however the murals on the covered walkway above the inner courtyard is even more showy and perhaps an even bolder statement of wealth.