These common gulls had stopped by to share in my in-car picnic on the beach at Black Rock Sands. I had eaten a delicious Scotch Egg and a Stromboli bought in a local cafe/deli and there was no chance they were going to get any of that.
I had also bought a cherry bun for "dessert" but I didn't really enjoy that so I threw a chunk out of the window to the waiting gulls thinking that they would tear it apart. To my surprise and amusement one bird swallowed it whole and then seemed to stagger around with a hugely swollen crop. I was a bit more careful to throw smaller pieces for the other birds and was again surprised to see the already stuffed bird fighting with his comrades over the other scraps in a disgusting display of greed.
I was impressed by the aerobatic skills of the birds as they snatched tasty snacks midair.
I took a number of pictures of the birds in flight as they were soaring effortlessly in the strong easterly wind. I think these shots capture the supreme skill of these birds and I particularly like the light in the first image.
Anyone who has had a seaside picnic will have been pestered by gulls and they're widely considered as pests but they are really quite attractive birds.
These two shots were taken yesterday but they look as if one was taken in winter and the other in summer.
I had just emerged from the darkness of the copper mine high up on the side of the hill. Underground it had been relatively warm but coming outside I was hit with the icy blast of the wind blowing up the valley. There was snow blowing around and with the wind chill it felt like it was -14 C. From the first image you can see the snow storm approaching and even though it only left a light dusting it was enough to let me know that winter isn't ready to end just yet.
Turn 180 degrees and the scene is completely different, apart from the absence of leaves on the trees you could imagine it is a summer's day. Next stop from here was going to be Black Rock Sands near Porthmadog. It is a lovely expanse of sand with impressive cliffs and a great spot to visit so the clear blue sky was drawing me there however I wasn't sure whether I would get there before the snow...
For today I have chosen three views of a waterfall. This was near to the Miners Bridge across the River Llugwy at Betws y Coed in North Wales. It is the same waterfall I posted a slo-mo video of on my facebook page recently. It is a beautiful sight and it sounds fantastic too.
Today's shots were taken at Porth Nobla near Rhosneigr on the west coast of Anglesey.
I had just parked up to go down onto the beach when I saw the neat rows of freshly planted potatoes. I am used to seeing the straight lines like this in the fields around Lincolnshire where I lived through some of my teenage years. But in the Lincolnshire fens the fields are totally flat unlike the field in this picture. I like the precision of the planted rows and I also like the way they rise up towards the skyline.
The next picture is of one of the small cottages overlooking the small bay which was also home to a colony of Sand Martins which I enjoyed watching as they flew around catching flies to feed their hungry chicks.
The connection between all of today's images is Caernafon. The first picture is a knocker on the great door of Caernafon Castle. I liked the door as a whole but really like the detail of the cast iron knocker.
The anchor is placed on the harbour front as a feature resting on a large compass, pointing North.
The third shot was taken overlooking the harbour. I would really love to own a boat but a motor cruiser would suit me better than a yacht like this.
So today's offerings are from an early morning walk along the pebbled beach near Caernafon at the end of April. It is also a shout out to my brother-in-law Spence who on the day I was taking these pictures was, it turns out and unbeknownst to me, winning a competition stacking stones in Dunbar.
I think the first of today's pictures is one of my favourite shots of recent times. It took several attempts to get it right, I don't mean with getting the stones to stay upright, which in some ways was the easy part, but getting the angles right so that everything is lined up properly with the background was the real challenge, but I think I got it right and the overall effect is just right.
The next two shots are different views of the same pebble, in the first picture the stone is wet but in the second, even though it was very cold the morning sun had quickly dried it and so the colours are slightly different. I really liked this particular pebble and put it in my pocket as a keepsake.
For my second camping trip of the year I headed off to Gyrn Gogh on North Wales' LLeyn Peninsula.
I pitched my tent on the cliff looking out into the Irish Sea and then went down onto the stony beach to watch the sunset. It was Earth Day and I hadn't got up early to take pictures of the sunrise but I did manage to get some nice shots of the sun going down.
When I arrived the sky was quite overcast but as time passed the clouds cleared and although it was quite chilly I had a really pleasant evening.
...only just!
I am not sure what the original purpose for these buildings was but half way up the mountain they were an unusual feature. It was just next to these ruins that in January 2012 I camped out over night. It was very cold but the views were great. Just as they were on my recent visit and I have more to share over the next few days.
I have decided to take a break from the waterfalls for now, I still have a few pictures from that day out to share but maybe another day... For today (and tomorrow) however I wanted to share a splash of spring colour. Visitors to my blog will know that I love photographing flowers and spring is a great time to get some early colour.
The second day during my recent week off I got up at 4 am and set off for Snowdonia in North Wales to capture some early morning shots of the mountains at dawn. I have got some great images to share in the days ahead.
After my trek up the mountain and back I decided to stop off at Bodnant Gardens to see what I could see. I was a little disappointed to be honest because there were only a few different varieties in bloom although there was lots of fresh new growth and a profusion of greens.
The first flowers to see were the tulips at the top of the page, the bright sun really shows the flowers off at their best.
The next picture is of a Magnolia coming into bloom, the tree as a whole was loaded with flowers and was a spectacular sight but I felt that this individual flower made a great picture.
The next image is of a Hyacinth, I think they were getting to be past their best but I managed to find this specimen in a sheltered spot and so it was not too badly damaged by the wind. Again the sun helps to bring out the rich colour of this delicate flower.
The final picture today is my favourite from today's selection. It was a tiny flower, no more than a few inches tall and it was growing in the shaded border in a trellised walkway. The main feature of that part of the garden will be different varieties of Clematis and this little gem will probably be seen by very few visitors and so i was thrilled to spot it and get a few shots. It is a variety of Muscari called Pink Sunrise, which after my early start and the sunrise I had enjoyed seemed very apt indeed.
I had intended to follow on from yesterday's post with some shots from the dairy at Erddig but as you can see I have taken things in a different direction. The reason being that my recent post Spring is Springing has been so popular it has stormed into top ten most viewed posts (currently it is at number 8) and so it seems that in these cold and frosty winter days there is a real taste for these signs that better weather and a change in the seasons is coming.
Today I headed off to Chirk Castle in North Wales, where there is always a spectacular display of Snowdrops at this time of year. I only took a couple of pictures of Snowdrops however as there was plenty of colour and new growth to catch the eye albeit much of it very small and only noticeable if you were looking for it (which of course I was).
Given how small everything was I relied on my 100mm Macro Lens today, it is a beautiful lens and has never let me down as I try to get great close up shots. I hope you will agree that today it has served me well.
The first two pictures are of apple blossom emerging, each little bud was no bigger than a small pea and I love the pattern of the veins in the new petals. I am reminded by the first picture a little of the plant "Audrey II" from Little Shop of Horrors.
The flowers in the third picture were so tiny and delicate, they were growing in the shelter of a wall in the castle's kitchen garden.
It has been pointed out to me that the budding leaves in the final picture look a little bit like a paintbrush, which I guess it does.
More pictures today from my walk in Wepre Park and I'm following on with the theme of texture.
Being a woodland there is plenty of varied texture and today's offering starts at the smoother end of the scale with the rain adding a sheen. The title of this post obviously refers to the third picture which looks a bit like a weeping eye.
Over the next few days there will be more pictures from my walk which I hope you will enjoy.
Today I visited somewhere new, Wepre Park, near Shotton in North Wales. Walking along a riverside path by Wepre Brook I came across a small waterfall which was in full force pouring its brown stained water onto the the rocks below.
These pictures were taken from a couple of different vantage points. Given how fast the water was flowing slowing the shutter speed just created a blur which was not really very interesting but using a really fast shutter speed it froze the image and combined with the different colours it was possible to pick out the fantastic patterns within the falling water.
The main focus of the pictures I took today was patterns and texture so I hope you like today's selection and that you will enjoy the pictures I share over the next few days.
These are the last two shots from my trip to Cwm Idwal that I will post. At the end of the day my daughter and I sat on some rocks on the shore of the lake, enjoying the late afternoon sun, the cool breeze and these stunning views.
A return to some landscapes for today and a nifty play on words for the title.
While waiting for the aircraft to fly through the valley I took a few shots of the surrounding area. I'm sure you will agree this is a really beautiful spot and it was scenes like this that made the long wait more bearable.
On Thursday I took my first trip to Cad West on the Mach Loop in North Wales. This is an area used by military pilots for low flying training. It can be hit and miss whether you get to see anything but there were plenty of other hopeful photographers who had made the effort to make the steep climb to a good vantage point all looking down the valley in anticipation.
A regular visitor to this spot happily announced that earlier in the week there had been 20 or more passes through the valley and that 5 passes was a bad day. So with expectations set high I settled down for what turned out to be a long wait.
It turned out that due to an accident in the valley and the air ambulance having to airlift the casualties to hospital low flying on Thursday was reduced.
We did get three passes by Hawk Jets from RAF Valley and I was able to get a few half decent shots as you can see above.
Although I was disappointed by the lack of action the fly pasts that I did see were incredible; the speed, the noise and the sheer skill of the pilots as they threaded through the narrow valley were captivating and I will definitely be going back for more.
Today's selection of butterflies were taken today while on a walk near Betws y Coed in sunny North Wales. I have been saying for a little while that I wanted to take some butterfly shots and so I was chuffed to bits to get these, even though they were not the most cooperative of specimens and it took some time to get these pictures.
I hope you will agree that it was worth it...
