Gone Fishing

 Have you ever sat for hours on a river bank drowning maggots? (I mean fishing of course!) It can be a nice relaxing experience and it is obviously great when you manage to catch something but there can be long periods when you catch nothing but unless your life depends upon it you can walk away at the end of the day and wish for better luck next time.

For this Egret however his life literally does depend upon a decent catch so finding the right spot , at the right time is essential.

Although part of the heron family the Egret takes a different approach to fishing to the grey heron who will stand patiently in one spot (much like the dedicated fisherfolk on the river banks) waiting for a meal to pass by and then with lightning speed and great precision it will dart forward with its long neck and powerful bill and snatch a fish, or amphibian from the water. I have even seen one catch a rat and swallow it whole. The Egret on the other hand takes a more active approach and will stir up the water a little bit or flap from one spot to another, pause, search and then move on, or it will walk slowly , head facing down looking for something in the shallows.

The egret in the pictures above had certainly picked a good time to be in the spot he chose because while I was watching he caught 4 fish, all a fairly decent size. 

Feed Me! Now!!!

 A few days ago I went to visit Sizergh Castle in Cumbria. It was an interesting day to be sure. I took some rather nice shots of the castle itself as well as some of the flowers and insects in the gardens. I also spent some time watching this group of hungry young swallows, lined up along the ridge of an old cottage, and their harassed parents trying to keep up with the constant demands for food.

For this series of shots I was on the wrong side of the building as I was shooting into the sun and so I will start by using that as an excuse for the images being less sharp than I had hoped, even shooting at 1/5000 sec. Nevertheless I think the series as a whole tells a nice story. There were a couple of families of birds lined up and each time an adult bird flew in all the young would cry out demanding to be fed next. Sometimes they would sit waiting but more often than not they would leap up into the air to get their parents' attention and snatch the tasty bugs from their beaks. The parent birds never settled down, each food exchange was done on the wing and as quickly as they flew in they would swoop off again in the hunt for more food.

Native Blue

 There is something special about walking in the woods in spring when you are surrounded by beautiful flowers and the heady smell of the bluebells. I remember walking on Bluebell Hill near Maidstone with my parents and seeing masses of these flowers and then for years I don't recall seeing them in any numbers, perhaps I just wasn't looking. A few years ago I went to Skomer to photograph the Puffins and other seabirds and large parts of the island  were completely covered in Bluebells and that was the first time I really appreciated not just the flower itself but the wonderful smell, the air was filled with it. It was a perfect day and is a wonderful memory.

These two shots were taken at Boilton Woods near Preston. I have a few more images from a little closer to home at Burton Mere which no doubt I will share if I get round to uploading them.

Goose

 This was one of the first images I captured on my morning visit to Brockholes. I had been watching a couple of Brown Hares nearby when I spotted this greylag goose through the reeds, enjoying the early  morning sun. It was sitting so calm and serene and I think this image sums up how I felt in that moment with the sun on my back and total calm all around me.

Looking at in now I am also drawn in by the warm layers of colour (which actually are misleading because it was pretty cold at just 3C or 37F).

A Carpet of Colour

 

I thought for today's post I would share a riot of spring colour with this carpet of beautiful Crocuses.

As I said the other day being so early in the season there was not a great deal of colour throughout the gardens at Bodnant as most flowers/plants are only just "waking up". However walking along one path towards the dell there was this vast array of crocuses, interspersed in a few places by daffodils creating the appearance of a wildflower meadow in summer.

Predominantly purple and white these flowers look stunning against the lush green of the grass. It was nice to see that despite recent storms and heavy rain the flowers themselves were not badly damaged and in the sunshine this was a wonderful sight. Some of the individual flowers look stunning set against the blooms around them as they catch the sunlight.

Ooooh, That's Nice!

This is a Common Spotted Orchid, or Dactylorhiza maculata. I had spotted several specimens along my walk through Chee Dale but this one on top of a mossy wally really stood out against the lush background. It always seems a little unfair to attach Common to the name because although they may be found in many places they are still uncommonly beautiful.

Fabulous Finches

Out for a walk I spotted these beautiful finches, I heard them first because they are such noisy little things.

It was really windy so their perches were getting blown around a lot so they are not necessarily the sharpest images but they are such beautiful birds. Getting out into nature, even briefly when things are the way they are right now can give an enormous lift.

Leaf Litter

The walk through the forest up to the waterfall at Aira Force was a real sensory treat from the birdsong and the sound of rushing water, the rich autumn colours, and the smell and the crunch of the fallen leaves. 

Autumn Leaves

I haven't had many opportunities to get out with my camera recently so haven't had anything new to share.

This shot was taken in Delamere forest a few weeks ago. Although there were lots of leaves lying on the ground this lone leaf laying on a fallen tree seemed to stand out. I love the colours and different textures that give a real sense that autumn is now in full swing.

From the heart of my bottom...

So anyone who has followed my blog will know I like to find hearts in nature and I love fungi so when I spotted this Common Earthball  in the undergrowth in Delamere forest in Cheshire I was really pleased because of its heart like shape however photographing it from a different angle it appears more like a crusty butt and that appealed to my sense of humour.

This is a type of puffball but its alternative name of pigskin poison puffball is a clear giveaway, unlike the edible puffballs this one will cause serious gastrointestinal distress so don't try eating them.

My Obsession

I had popped down to Dunham Massey last Saturday to take some photos of the deer, I managed to get a few shots but while following one small group of young deer I spotted a fallen tree covered with loads of fungi. I can never resist something like that and so I was glad to have my macro lens packed in my bag.

Here are just two of the shots I got...

Migrants

Just like yesterdays shots of the dragonfly these images of a Painted Lady butterfly  were taken using my 150 - 600mm lens (handheld). In some ways these were harder than the dragonfly because it was even more restless and almost constantly on the move.

I learned just the other day that Painted Lady butterflies are a migratory species that start in North Africa and finish their journey as far north as Iceland and even Greenland however their life span is relatively short and the Painted Ladies we see in the UK are actually the grandchildren of those that start in Africa.

Dilly Dilly

So the title of the blog is a reference to a song that harks back to when my daughter was very small and that I heard in a movie over the weekend and which perfectly fits with the subject of this post.

We have always, or for as long as I can remember had a lavender plant in out front garden, at times it has become large and unruly and needed pruning right back. In the last year we have had to replace it so at present it is just a small bush but even so it has been full of beautiful fragrant flowers.

I love lavender because of the colour, the furry texture of the tiny buds and the fact that they attract so many pollinators. They also remind me of hotels for some reason. 

Tiger Stripes

I have no idea what this plant is, possibly a fern but I have done a bit of research and come up blank. If you know then please enlighten me...

I liked it for its lush leaves and the stripes on the under surface. I also like the way the light is shining through the leaves.

I like to see bold colours in the garden but often lush green is just as stunning.

Anemone

I am not sure exactly what variety this is but I am fairly sure it is a type of anemone.

Whatever it is it is beautiful and when you take a closer look it is really quite complex with lots of tiny buds and delicate fronds making up the central disc.


Update:  It has been pointed out to me that this flower is in fact a Cosmos not an anemone and so I wanted to set the record straight.

Coming to Life

The other day I shared a couple of shots of a bracken heart which I think looked quite lovely. Today I have selected another shot of some bracken coming into life but from a side on perspective.

I just love the way this plant develops from tight little green balls, coiled up, covered in fine tendrils, slowly unfurling one stage at a time until it produces lush green fronds giving ground cover and a haven for birds, insects and small mammals. Even from a static image I think there is a real sense of movement or at least potential to spring into motion at any moment.

I like the lighting in this shot too, moments before I had tried to capture an image but a cloud had passed in front of the sun and so the fern was in shadow but as the sun appeared from behind the cloud so this lovely curl became illuminated giving light, and depth to the image.

Fleshy Fungus

It is that time of year when a woodland walk will reveal lots of beautiful fungi and I can never resist capturing images of these wonderful organisms.

I will soon be heading to the New Forest for a few days and I am sure that I will be snapping a few more like this.

Open Hearted

Anyone who has seen my regular posts over the past few years will know that something I look for are nature's hearts. It can be pebbles, a cut tree trunk, even sea foam, but something that often produces beautiful natural hearts is emerging ferns.

I spotted this one yesterday and I really like how the heart in the foreground is opening up to reveal a smaller closed heart emerging in the background.

The settings for these two shots were slightly different and in the first shot the greens were not quite so fresh and vibrant so I used a black and white preset in Lightroom which I think works really well.  For those who prefer a more natural look the second image may be more up your street. 

Golden Fly

So today is my birthday and I went for a walk at Bickerton Hill in Cheshire. The day had started off wet and grey but by this afternoon it brightened up a little.

I had my bag of kit with me, unsure exactly what I would shoot but I spotted this fly and decided today would be a Macro day...

I got some nice shots of bugs and some early season fungi and I look forward to sorting through them and sharing them with you.

It is pretty much universally accepted that flies are ugly, dirty pests but when you take a closer look they often have some really interesting features. Take this one for instance the golden stripes on its face set it off. In the original shot (this is a low res image) the features are really sharp too so you can see the individual lenses that make up the compound eyes.

Bejewelled

At first glance as I walked through the meadow alongside Colemere the dew encrusted spiders webs were just a pretty white (very damp) blanket but as the sun rose above the treeline the early morning rays lit up the webs in a glorious display.