Familiar Faces

 

I sometimes think that we undervalue some of our most common species of birds. We might go to a local park or walk along a river bank or canal and frequently see Mallard ducks, Mute Swans and even Tufted Ducks and think its "just a swan" or "just a duck" but get more excited when we see something a little more unusual. Maybe I am wrong but familiarity does often mean we take things for granted and  in doing so we can miss out on how special these birds are.

Take a look at the colours of the sleepy mallard's head and the lustrous sheen of its breast feathers, as it rests in the shade of a tree. It is nothing short of spectacular.

And how about the pure white feathers of the tufted duck contrasted with its shiny dark wing feathers, not to mention that impressive plume and the bold yellow eye. It is more than just a black and white duck it is beautiful and elegant.

Talking of elegance the mute swan is so serene as these three head shots show. They look majestic when they sail along a river with their wings curled round but they have really impressive features too and are worth a closer look.

So next time you are out for a walk, in the park or by a river or lake take not of the ducks and swans and appreciate what makes them special. They are not "just anything" they are a thing of beauty.

These are Hideous!

 I am not going to try to pretend that these are anything but hideous. On a hot day out in the countryside I am always plagued by flies and biting insects which  drive me mad, but that doesn't stop me from finding them fascinating. They are quite ugly too, but again that doesn't stop me from finding them interesting as subjects to photograph. I think it is because up close there is so much more to these pesky things. They are really quite complex and when we brush them away as they buzz past we don't ever see the detail.

So every now and then I do like to pause for a moment and take a closer look. It doesn't make them look any better and I still get annoyed every time they buzz around me but I do try to appreciate them a little more, as part of the complexity of nature and the fact that annoying as they are they still have a role to play.

A Puzzle...

I thought that for today I would give you a little puzzle by sharing a picture of something close up that will hopefully get you thinking.  It is probably not immediately obvious what this is and I won't tell you today. It would be fun if you leave a comment to say what you think it is. It really is just for fun and I will give the answer tomorrow with a photo or two of the whole thing.

This first image might be a bit tricky so if you scroll down the second image might help you guess/work it out.

They represent the front and back... but that is enough no more clues.

please join in the fun and have a guess.

Also when I was preparing these images I thought they might actually work well as a Jigsaw Puzzle, what do you think? If so which would be most interesting and/or challenging to do?

Don't forget to comment :)
 

Frozen Dew Drops

As I was preparing to take the shot that I shared yesterday I spotted this leaf on the ground with frozen dew drops clinging tightly to its' surface.

I took a moment to swap from my wide angle lens to my 100mm macro lens and I got down on my knees onto the frozen path to get as close as possible. For the first two images I used the natural light but for the third shot I added a little extra light with the help of my head torch.

I love being able to get a closer look at the little things, macro photography reveals so much detail hat otherwise we would never see and would probably never even imagine to be there. Here you can see little balls of ice are anything but smooth. 

Look Into My Eyes!

I had intended on posting some flower images today but looking through the folder of pictures I spotted these shots of a hover fly and decided that I would follow up the past two days pictures of bugs with these before moving onto something a little prettier.

Although I say prettier I think you will agree these are quite spectacular and as you look closer at the compound eyes you can see how magnificent they really are. I love macro photography...

Do you ever wonder how things look to these creatures with such complex eyes?

Dusty Whiskers of the Humble Bumblebee

So keeping things going along the same theme as yesterday but still from my visit to Bodnant here is a fantastic macro shot of an industrious bumblebee absolutely covered in sticky pollen.

As it was buzzing around it looked like a normal yellow and black bee going about its work but getting close up I could see that much of the yellow as in fact pollen and then with the help of my trusty macro lens we can all see just how much pollen there is.

We owe so much to these little beauties and when you see this it should underline just how important they are as pollinators.

Something to make you go OOOH!

Here's another of my abstract ripples and reflections pictures. 

I love the light, depth and motion in this image.

I am loving these images and hope you are too.

Daddy Long-Legs

"The name's Fly, Crane Fly!"

I wasn't sure whether I would post this because I know how unpopular Daddy Long-Legs are but as unattractive and creepy as they are I think this is quite a good shot. Perhaps not as good as yesterdays' grasshopper but still pretty good.

It has a nice sheen on its back and the stained glass wings look too fragile for the task of carrying this bug through the air.

I'm Watching, Always Watching...

I've mentioned bucket list items several times in my blogs in the past with puffins and hummingbirds and if I really did have one this beautiful bird would be up near the top of the list. 

I first saw a Bald Eagle in Utah a few years ago with my daughter and about six months later I saw a lovely juvenile eagle at a raptor centre in North Wales, since then I have been really keen to see another one in the wild and it was certainly high on my expectations for my Canadian adventure.

On the drive from Toronto to Thunder Bay I say a number of Turkey Vultures and a couple of Bald Eagles flying quite high but these were not photo opportunities.

This beauty was spotted while visiting Kakabeka Falls, initially it was perched high on an old tree on the far side of the gorge and I watched through my binoculars as it took off to go hunting. 

As we walked around the cliff top path we came to a viewing platform to get a good view of the falls which are a truly spectacular sight. Looking downstream however we were able to catch a glimpse of the eagle perched on a branch around 20 - 30 feet away. It was really hard to see as it was sheltered by the branches and to get a good view it was necessary to lay on the decking and peer through the railings. That was no good for getting a clear photo though and to do that I had to stand on the inner railings and lean out as far as possible. With the heavy 150-600mm lens it was really difficult to hold it steady while keeping my balance at the same time, I didn't want to lose my camera or end up at the bottom of the gorge. Difficult as it was I am quite pleased with how the shots turned out.

In the first shot the eagle is looking intently at something in the river below although I don't think he was looking for food since it had not long eaten.

In the second shot he was looking directly at me and I think I have captured his piercing gaze. He clearly wasn't disturbed by our presence because he spent some time in this spot as we watched while he preened his feathers, but always keeping his eye on us.

A Little Fluff

I thought that I had run out of new pictures to share and was about to delve into some old files when I realised I had one recent folder that I hadn't been through.

I recently went to Delamere Forest for a short walk, it is always nice to visit because it is always changing and there is always something different to see. On this particular occasion I was taken with the fresh greens and soaring trunks of the trees. But for today I have chosen a couple of pictures of dandelion seed heads. I didn't post these at the time because there were lots of dandelion pictures on Instagram and other sites and so I decided to save them for a bit, and then almost forgot I had taken them.

For the first picture I was assisted by my daughter who blew the seeds. I think a faster shutter speed would have improved the shot but its still quite cool. I also really like the close up with the shimmering seeds.

Busy Bees

For the eagle-eyed among you it will be obvious that strictly speaking the title of today's post is not 100% accurate, more like 66% but even so every picture is a winner.

About a week ago I posted a couple of pictures of humble bumble bees busily at work sucking up the nectar and today I have a couple more, plus one of a hover fly at rest on the stem of a wild rose. 

I love my Canon 100mm macro lens because it lets me get right up close to the little things and there is always so much we would miss without a closer look. Take a close look at the final picture and you can see the individual hairs on the mandibles, the segments of the antennae and the barbs on the "foot" clasping the petal. 

Skeletal Plant

After the flowers come the seeds and after the seeds ...

Although these plants have died and will be replaced by fresh new plants come the spring the structure that remains is still interesting and noteworthy, but because it is past its prime it is easily overlooked.  A closer look reveals the beautifully intricate structure that supports the flowers. I hope you will agree that it is sometimes worth taking a second look.