As I said the other day I had a go at photographing some birds in flight and I managed to capture a few shots of these cormorants. I know they are not the sharpest images but looking at them I think I can see what I need to do differently next time.
I almost decided against posting these but I thought that in spite of the lack of sharpness one of the features I wanted to capture is the shapes of the birds in flight and these shots show that off well.
Tracking birds is challenging and getting the focus spot on is difficult especially when the lens is quite slow. In the third of these pictures I think the focus point is on the top surface of the wing and that looks good, it's just a shame that it's not sharp across the whole image.
I was lucky that today, for a couple of hours at least the sky was clear and the light was good. It was just as well because when I got to Mere Sands I realised that I had left my coat at home and while my layers of fleece were guaranteed to keep me warm they would offer little protection if it rained.
There was a fair variety of birds to see but not in great numbers and mostly too far out on the mere to get a good shot.
On land cormorants look clumsy and ungainly and in flight they're not the most elegant of creatures but in the water they are something else. Swimming low in the water with their sleek bodies and long necks they are elegant and graceful and it was mesmerising watching this one fishing.
Sadly the light and fair weather didn't last too long and was soon followed by heavy rain which brought an end to my New Year's photo shoot. But I am not complaining, I had a lovely couple of hours and even when the weather isn't great I enjoy being outdoors and there will hopefully be many more opportunities in the months ahead.
I have chosen these pictures for today because I love to see birds in flight. With smaller birds it is harder to capture the detail because they move so much quicker than larger birds (although some smaller birds like Humming Birds which I have posted before are great because they hover and so it is possible to get get shots while they are in motion).
Large birds such as those in the pictures above fly so gracefully and compared to the way they lumber around on the ground either in the water or in flight they look so elegant. Take the Whooper Swans in the first picture for example, I love the shapes made by the wings, and the way they use every individual element to control lift and direction. They also make it look effortless while in the air but they expend so much energy getting off the ground.
The Cormorant in the second image was flying a bit more quickly and seemingly with greater purpose. he looks so streamlined with his neck stretched forward and his feet tuck in tight against his body.
The final shot is of a small flock of Pink-footed Geese. Again I like the different shapes as their wings flex and bend powering them through the sky. I also like to see the cooperative nature of geese in flight as they fly in sagitate flocks, using an arrow or v-shaped formation to help give each other extra lift and lighten the load.
Just recently I have been posting just one picture per day but the subject for today deserves the full sequence.
These pictures of the cormorant taking to the air were shot from a canoe in the middle of Marie Louise Lake. I love the sequence and I love the water droplets falling from the wings in the first shot and the splashes in the others. I am slightly disappointed that the pictures aren't as sharp as I had hoped but I really needed a set up with a much faster shutter speed to freeze the action, however I was actually set up for a Bald Eagle which was sat up in a dead birch tree on the island in the background. But although I didn't get the perfect shot I am still happy and I have learned so much from this trip so in the future I can do much better.
It is often said that Venice is slowly sinking how true that is I am not sure, but while we were there we saw workers on barges busy replacing some of the old piling which supports the city. I imagine it is a never ending process, but well worth the effort to preserve such a beautiful place..
The first two pictures show street scenes near San Basilio, away from the hubbub of the tourist areas, it looks calm and peaceful but every bit as beautiful as the more familiar parts of Venice.
I like the third picture of the Cormorant as it stands like a sentinel watching our approach.
As we approached the city on the Vaporetto on our first day we passed the restaurant terrace in the last of today's pictures. Everyone looked relaxed and happy, enjoying the late afternoon sun. I wonder how relaxed they would feel if they could see the state of the piling supporting the terrace... it's not a great picture I know but it does show the effect of constant erosion and that is why I took it.
I loved Venice and would definitely go again, and I would take time to explore some of the less seen parts of the city again.
I was really disappointed yesterday morning because although there was great early morning light and mist rising off the fields I wasn't able to get out with my camera and today there was no frost and no mist so I thought the photo opportunities would be more limited. However there was a beautiful sunrise and it was a cold and crisp morning and definitely worth getting outside for an hour or two. I joined the early morning joggers and dog walkers around the marine lake and took a number of pictures which I am more than happy with.
For today I have chosen a few pictures of some of the birds that I saw. The first I think is a Knot, which had been feeding in the shallow edges of the lake I had tried to get a picture with it reflected in the water but as I approached it took flight,in this picture you can see the water droplets falling from its feet and I like the way the primary feathers are highlighted by the morning sun.
The second picture is of a Cormorant which was fishing in the lake, just moments after taking this shot the bird dived beneath the surface, it reappeared some distance away making a second shot impossible.
The final picture is of a gull that had been resting on the path around the lake but had been disturbed by a dog. I like the silhouette of the bird above the Flintshire hills in the distance.
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