Great Tit

 I was trying to photography a young Roe Deer buck that was sneaking around in the woodland when this beautiful great tit flew onto a post right in front of me, pausing just long enough for me to get one shot before deciding I was not interesting enough (I didn't offer him any snacks) and flying off.

Although it was quite shady along this stretch of the path there was enough morning sunlight to illuminate his brilliant colours.

TITS!

 Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit and my favourite... Long Tailed Tit

I was able to get out for a couple of hours today to visit Mere Sands Wood where despite the biting wind the sun was shining  I was able to photograph a few different varieties of our beautiful birds.

These were all some distance away, at the limit of my lens in some cases nevertheless they are all rather nice.

A Few Days in December

 So, I know that we are now part way through January, almost a third of the way actually so it may seem a bit late to post something with a title "A Few Days in December" but that is what these pictures and those that I  will share over the coming days represent.

I managed to get out for just a few days last month, although I have had a fair bit of time on my hands the poor weather and a lack of motivation on my part meant I didn't get out as much as I would have liked and when I sat down to review my images I actually thought that I wouldn't have very much to show for it. 

As it happens on those few days out I did get more than a few shots and perhaps more important than the images themselves I had time to unwind, to reflect and to connect with nature in a way that I really needed. Although I had my camera with me the primary purpose was just to get out and enjoy being out, without putting any pressure on myself to get the perfect shot.

Above are a few images from my first day out, a short visit to Mere Sands Woods. The weather was not great, the lighting poor and I really should have used a faster shutter speed but as I say photography was not the most pressing thing for me, I really enjoyed my walk and mostly just watching. The pictures, well they are a bonus.

I hope that you enjoy the images above of a Great Tit, a couple of Blue Tits, a hungry Nuthatch and  of course, what winter walk would be complete without a Robin?!

Some of these images were made possible because someone had left out some seed on a tree stump where I stood a while and watched the birds come down in a frenzy to feed. 

The Robin shot was captured right at the end of my walk, I think it is quite a nice image but I had an even closer and perhaps more meaningful encounter with a Robin on one of my other days out, which no doubt I will tell you about in a future post.

Feathered Friends

Today's offering shows a couple of wonderful birds, the first one is a lovely little Coal Tit and the second a much more brightly coloured Great Tit. We may be lucky enough to see these regularly in our parks, gardens and hedgerows but they are so beautiful we shouldn't overlook them

Great Tit!

Continuing the theme from the other day of colourful British birds here is a Great Tit and I think he is absolutely stunning.

I am really pleased with this shot. Looking at it I remember a time earlier this year when I visited Boilton Woods and I held out some seeds in my hand and fed some Great Tits as they perched on my thumb, it was quite a thrill and a happy memory.

A Great Tit

On Saturday I had planned on going to Bodnant Gardens in North Wales, desperate for some spring colour but I woke to the sound of pounding rain on the roof and my mood became as grey as the clouds as I realised that my planned photo shoot was not going to happen.

Later in the day the skies cleared and the sun came out. It was too late to travel to Bodnant but I wanted so much to get out so decided to go somewhere closer to home and hit upon the idea of the Walled Garden at Royden Park. This is a local gem and although the park is a favourite with families and dog walkers the walled garden is a secluded and often over looked spot and whenever I have visited in the past I have found myself alone or just joined by one or two other visitors, Saturday was no exception and in the afternoon sun it was a perfect spot.

It is stil very early in the season and there weren't too many floral specimens on display (there were a few which I will be sharing in due course) but I spent some time watching the birds visiting a corner of the garden where there are a number of feeders set up to encourage the wildlife. 

Today's picture is of a beautiful Great Tit that was taking almost as much interest in me as I was in him. He perched for a few moments, just long enough for this shot, before flying to feed his pretty little face.

Woodland Birds

When I am out in the woods I very often struggle to see the birds because I am colour blind so looking up into the tree tops I am sure that I miss a great deal in spite of their beautiful plumage... However I managed to capture this lovely Great Tit as it took a brief pause on its flight through the trees.

The Nuthatch is one of my favourite woodland birds, I like the orange and grey of its feathers and I like the black mask giving something of the appearance of a bandit.  This little bird was visiting a cache of seeds in a small hollow in the tree trunk.  It was quite difficult to get a steady shot in low light conditions as he was constantly on the move but I don't think these are too bad.

Great Tits

The first shot is of another Blue Tit the other two are of a Great Tit which was noisily chirping away to warn other birds of my presence but it seemed quite happy to stay close by as if watching what I was doing.

I really had a good time watching the birds and capturing these images but I was even more convinced that I need to save up and invest in a bigger telephoto lens.  I'm thinking a 150mm - 600mm lens will probably be on my shopping list to get even closer and hopefully better pictures in future

In the meantime I hope you have enjoyed today's photos.

Wild Birds

Today I have chosen a couple of very simple shots on of a Great Tit and the other a Blue Tit which I snapped near the car park in Blanchland in the North Pennines.  It was a miserable grey day with non stop rain but it didn't prevent me from getting out for the day with my mum.  

We had been to High Force in Teesdale and then called in at Blanchland for lunch at the White Monk Tearooms which is in the former village school. Before heading back home I took a few pictures of the birds that were resting in the trees near the car.  It was hard getting a clear shot because of the rain on my lens and these while not perfect were the best.  The Great Tit has a crumb of biscuit clasped in its beak, I think he was pleased for an easy meal on such a miserable day.

Over the next few days I will post some more pictures from the day out including the waterfall and some photos of Blanchland which is a lovely village and definitely worth a visit in better weather.