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.
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.
I had stopped to look through one of the screen hides at Burton Mere and at first glance there was virtually nothing to see but then I spotted this lovely Little Egret a little way off in the distance. I could see that it was working its way slowly towards me as it was searching for food so I hung around for a bit in the hope it would get close enough for me to get a few shots.
Well as you can see my patience paid off.
This is a really elegant bird with its pristine plumage and fierce long black beak. I love the plume on its head and the wispy feathers on its breast and back. Although here it looks perfectly still it was in fact shuffling its feet constantly stirring up tasty treats.
Choosing today's picture wasn't difficult, actually I had already decided yesterday to share this portrait of a beautiful hybrid falcon. It is a cross between a Gyr Falcon and a Saker Falcon (you will have seen a shot of it in flight in yesterday's post) and it is super sleek and elegant. It is also very fast and supremely agile and it was a real treat to watch it flying to a lure.
Did you know that the art of falconry has been practiced for over 4,000 years with evidence from Mesopotamia (The Epic of Gilgamesh) providing accounts as far back as 2,000 B.C. (That makes me think of the song "The Mesopotamians" by They Might Be Giants but that really has nothing to do with falconry).
I remember a presentation by a falconer at Beaulieu Abbey a few years ago, he described how falcons were prized possessions and extremely valuable. A good bird was seen as a status symbol. Falconry remains a niche sport especially in Gulf States like Qatar and good birds fetch ridiculous prices. In 2015 it was reported that a Gyr Falcon was sold for a whopping $250,000 (£180,000) that's just a little bit out of my league so I will just have to get my fix visiting places like the sanctuary where this little beauty was on display.
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.
The first image show a beautiful Little Egret in winter plumage (sleek and lacking the wispy plume that it has during the summer months). It was patiently patrolling the shallows fishing. I watched this one catch a decent sized fish just a few moments before this shot but sadly I didn't capture the action. This is such a beautiful and elegant bird with its pristine white feathers.
The second picture shows an adult Grey Heron hunkered down on the embankment over looking the pool. It was cold and windy and he seemed quite content standing there. He lacks the elegance of the Egret, at least in this pose but nonetheless he is a lovely creature.
There is something elegant about the sleek tulip bud as it develops and bursts into a colourful flower. The external shell gives the slightest hint of the colour to come.
I like the natural lighting in this shot, it is almost like there is a halo around the flower.
Today's offering is another view of Chirk Castle from the bottom of the informal garden.
I have titled today's post "the long border" but actually the hawk house and shrub garden are more visible in the view leading up to the castle. There are some simple but elegant yew topiary as well.
Well you wouldn't play cards with a cheetah...
Sorry I know it is a dreadful joke.
I love cats, even though I won't have a pet one (so nobody ask) and I love big cats even more. My favourite is a close tie between a Jaguar and a Snow Leopard but not far behind is the cheetah, It is so beautiful, it has such poise and bearing. It is so powerful and ready to leap into action to chase down its prey. At the zoo the cheetahs enclosure is being refurbished and improved so they have been moved to a smaller temporary enclosure which meant I could get really close, it was amazing. It was always on the move so I was thrilled to get such a good clear shot, even through the wire.
