Pink and Red

Two more pictures today from my early experimenting with my new lens, proving what an amazing all-rounder it really is.

The first shot shows the flowers of Ribes sanguineum a flowering current and this variety is called "Porky's Pink"  and eventually those pretty flowers will be replaced by fruit.

The second flower is Red Campion or Red Catchfly, I really don't understand how it earns the "Red" part of its name but  even so it is a pretty little thing.

In Wondering Awe

I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Vienna, a really wonderful city steeped in history and culture. I  enjoyed good food, good music and lots of delicious cake and of course I took every opportunity to capture sights around the city with my camera. I have lots of pictures to sort through and work on but I knew that I would post this as my first blog picture from the trip because it is probably my favourite shot from the weekend and it tells such a lovely story.

Although it was very cold it was a beautifully sunny morning, perfect for a stroll around the Volksgarten, near the Hofburg and Parliament buildings. I had been sitting on the other side of the park people watching when I heard the sound of buskers so I went to take a closer look, as I turned the corner I saw the little girl standing in awe and wonderment as she tried to make sense of the masked musicians. She was poised to put a coin in the tray but held back and moments after the shutter clicked she turned and ran back to her parents. I love this shot and the story it tells.

NB: I wouldn't normally take pictures of other people's children without asking but I was careful to avoid capturing the child's face so she is not identifiable. As for the buskers, I don't speak Deer or Horse so I couldn't ask them. 

Buzzin'

Whenever I am outdoors I seem to get more than my fair share of mosquito bites and it really bugs me (pun intended). So when I was watching these deer at Dunham Massey I could really empathise with their plight. Look at how they must suffer with the swarms of evil bitey flies.

The young stag in the final two images seems to be suffering much more than the others and at first I couldn't think why. However I think the first image might just give us a clue.

When I saw the deer in the first shot I thought he had some fabric or an old boot lace twisted around his antlers but if you look closely you will see that that is not the case. The stag in the last two shots has the downy velvet coating still covering his antlers whereas the first one has antlers which have been scraped "clean" of the velvet and the tassles are the remnants of the soft outer layer. I think that the velvet has a fresh supply of blood and so that will be why it is so attractive to the flies and why this poor creature has such an annoying following while the other have less of a problem.

One other thing that I noticed during my walk around the park was that the young female deer were really quite skittish and shy whereas the young bucks were more relaxed. In just a few weeks however there will be a major change in the behaviour as the rut begins and the bucks will become more aggressive in an attempt to achieve dominance within the herd, it won't be quite so easy to get up close to these marvellous creatures then.

Wood Face

When I shot the first of today's images I had been watching a swan on the lake and when I saw this fallen tree I thought this branch had a swan like quality. 

I really like the way it reaches up and elegantly curves round.

The second image I don't think I really saw it until I'd snapped it. I knew when I saw the tree that there was something interesting about it if I could get the  angle right. From this angle there are two faces, one bearded face in profile looking left and half a face looking right at you. 

Shooting in black and white really emphasises the shape and the shadows that bring out the detail.

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.

Cracking Up

Today I am featuring this magnificent piece of art in the park.

This giant sculpture Tindaro Screpolato by Igor Mitoraj  is found in Florence's Giardino di Boboli. It is a massive bronze disembodied head which contrasts and compliments the lush and green surroundings in the garden in the heart of the city.

It is an imposing feature but one that naturally draws people to it, people sit in its shadow or stand and look up in awe. The size of this work seems to represent strength while the cracked features suggest fragility and decay. 

There are many sculptures in the gardens and I will share more images of some of them in due course but I think this is my favourite. Whatever angle you view it from it is so impressive.

Always Watching...

Tamron 150 - 600mm

ISO 2500  600 mm   F/6.3   1/320 sec

ISO 800   350 mm   F/5.6   1/320 sec

These pictures were shot in Gothenburg in Slottsskogen a fabulous park near the city centre.  There are lots of paths and wooded areas, there's even a small zoo with native animals so plenty to see and we spent several hours wandering round and there were lots of photo opportunities.

Here we have a Fieldfare and a Western Jackdaw.

At first I thought the bird in the first picture was a Song Thrush but I wasn't convinced so did a bit of research and found that it was a Fieldfare although I think it may be a juvenile because it was smaller than Fieldfares I have seen before and the head is less obviously grey.

The second bird was seated on a fence and was staring intently at me. I was somewhat surprised that it allowed me to get quite close before flying away.