Jungle Queen

 Not that I  follow football but as the Women's Football World Cup is taking place at the moment I thought a picture of a Lioness would be appropriate... I am far more interested in the big cats than the soccer team actually so I was very pleased to capture this lovely shot at Chester Zoo, where the Lions have a fantastic new enclosure.

Regal Eagle

 This is an African Fish Eagle, this species of eagle lives in Africa and feeds on fish, in case that needed clarification :)

Its range is across sub Saharan Africa wherever there are large bodies of open water. It is the national bird of Namibia and Zambia.

From the first picture as it launches itself from the tree it is quite deceptive in that this is a really large bird, with a wingspan of up to 2.8m (9 feet) it is incredible that it is so manoeuvrable is such a tight space. Once in flight it is agile and graceful and a really beautiful sight. At one point during the display it swooped between myself and my mum, its wings tucked in with mere millimetres from each of our heads.

At rest on a post having snacked on a dead chick it struck a fantastic pose and fixed me with an intense stare as I looked at it through my camera's lens.

My favourite images are the second and fourth. On the second one as well as converting it to black and white which works really well I have tried out the newest update to the masking tool in Adobe Lightroom, this is not something I have tried before and I am really happy with the result. It is now in my list of all time favourite pictures.

Hairy Beast

 Highland Cattle are magnificent creatures. I know they're just cows but they are more than "just cows" they have a real presence and they evoke strong feelings.

These specimens are part of a small herd that are often found on Whitefield Moor just outside of Brockenhurst, these were making the most of a little shade from the afternoon sun at Whitemoor Pond. Along with the New Forest Ponies they are quite the tourist attraction, with lots of people stopping to take photographs.

Despite the small swarm of flies attached to its nose the cow in the first image looks quite serene, and is happily ignoring me.

I like the second image, when I look at it I think it has the bearding of a Roman Emperor, all it needs is a Laurel crown to finish the look.

The third and fourth images are the same except for the fact one is colour and the other is black and white. I can't decide which I lime best. I like the image because the cow is slowly ambling towards me. It looks purposeful but despite its size and those formidable horns it does not feel threatening at all. Nevertheless I got out of its way once I had got the shot, it was definitely not going to change course on my account.

Pebbles

 Today's little gem is exactly that; little. This is Pebbles; Phiddipus regius, or Regal Jumping Spider.

After the more spooky specimens over the past few days I wanted to end this spell of spider posts with something cute. I know that for many people even this little beauty will send shivers down your spine but I think it is amazing.

It has eight eyes, eight legs and scores eight out of 10 on the cuteness scale.

Having said that I am glad it is safely in its container.

Cute mini beast

 I haven't posted any photos lately despite having had a couple of days out. I haven't really got round to sorting through the pictures I took but hopefully I will soon get some time  to process them and then share the best ones.

Today however I finally got to do something I have been planning to do for ages but due to Covid restrictions I have not had the opportunity to do and that is go and do a photo shoot of some of my daughter-in-law's collection of spiders. She has 27 tarantulas if you can believe that, 27!!!

Now I do not like spiders, at all, and I am grateful that in my house it is not me who has to remove them when they become a nuisance (which is whenever they appear). I once did a presentation about spiders to a youth group, thinking that if I understood more about spiders then I wouldn't be so afraid of them, guess what, it didn't work. The more I knew the  more I realised it made sense to be afraid...

Despite that I do find them fascinating and extremely photogenic and the opportunity to get up close and take some macro photos of a few of the species in the collection was something I didn't want to pass up. There were some species that I definitely did not want to get close to because they are very fast and extremely poisonous but the ones that I will share with you were a little more easy going. I even surprised myself by moving the containers to get closer, without thinking about just how close my hand came to the venomous beasts. 

Anyway I have decided to share some of the cutest pictures today. Meet Pebbles and Jasper. These are two Phiddipus regius or Regal Jumping Spiders. They are just too cute with their whiskers and 8 shiny black eyes. 

They are also ridiculously small, so these images are cropped to get up really close. Pebbles is the largest of the two and I have included the full image of Jasper with his owners hand in the shot to give you a true sense of just how small he is.

I have some more shots of Pebbles to share but I will save them for another day and before I get back to them I will share some images of some of the larger species so come back for more if you dare.

Just Great...

I had a really good spell at Mere Sands Woods reserve yesterday during a brief respite in the horrendous weather we've had recently. I watched a lovely Little Grebe fishing and saw a stunning kingfisher fly directly towards me before it looped off around the mere. 

Then at a different spot I heard the tell tale call of another kingfisher and and after a few minutes searching the reeds I spotted it and spent the next 15 - 20 minutes watching it fish. It caught what appeared to be newts, eating one and after killing the second he hung it on a branch possibly to go back for later. 

Although I managed to get a few pictures it was too far away to get a decent clear image. I will have to save hard and maybe have to sell some gear to be able to afford a better lens and get the sort of images a fellow photographer managed to get (but his camera and lens set up would have been around £17K so I would have expected the sort of images he was keen to show off). 

That being said I don't think you have to spend such a huge sum of money to get great images and I think these shots of a fishing Great Crested Grebe are proof of that. 

I think these are such regal looking birds and they are so sleek as they dive in search for food, barely leaving a ripple as they break the surface.

Float On

There is something about swans, they're so elegant, and regal as they glide through the water seemingly effortlessly.

I like the way this one is lit by the early morning sun.

Sweet Treat

The Wood Duck has to be one of the most handsome ducks around, just look he looks so regal and well preened.

I have called today's post "Sweet Treat" because when I looked at his bill I thought about the traffic light lollies I used to buy with my pocket money as a child

Mutton Chops

I think you would agree with me when I say that the Great Crested Grebe is a stunning bird.

It is regal, sleek and streamlined and has the most beautiful plumage, and it has a fearsome beak which it uses to catch fish while swimming under water. 

It is known for its amazing courtship rituals when the adults perform a balletic dance. I had gone to Mere Sands today in the hope that I would witness this but obviously I had picked the wrong time. This chap stayed a safe distance away so getting the perfect shot was really difficult however I am fairly happy with these two.

I had a really enjoyable time at Mere Sands listening to the birdsong as I walked through the woods and sitting quietly and undisturbed in the various hides around the mere. There weren't that many different species of birds to see but it was so relaxing and a perfect opportunity to de-stress.

Wood Duck

I don't know about you but I think these Wood Duck are absolutely beautiful. 

They have such spectacular plumage, and look really regal.

Regal

Tamron 150mm - 600mm f/5:6.3

ISO250   552mm  f/6.3  1/320 sec

ISO 160  400mm  f/5.6   1/320 sec

The swan is such a majestic bird and always look so serene. Even when having a stretch as in the first shot or when chasing away a goose as in the second image. 

This bird was one of a pair that was nesting on a small island at the far end of the pond and s/he was very protective of the nest chasing away any potential threats. 

After a little while I watched the changing of the guard on the nest and was treated to a nice view of the clutch of eggs (more of that another day). But I wanted to share these pictures because they are really good and I love the reflections.

Lanner Falcon

Today's offering from the Turbary Woods Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary is this beautiful Lanner Falcon.

This is not a native species but is normally found in Africa and Southern Europe. In 1666 some were reported in The Forest of Dean and Sherwood Forest but these were likely to have been escaped hunting birds.

They have a different hunting style to the Peregrine Falcon which tends to stoop attacking its prey at great speed from above, the Lanner by contrast has a more horizontal flight and takes its prey in flight. This bird was part of the flying demonstration and it was truly a great spectacle. As it flew above the trees a large flock of pigeons scattered noisily before the falcon returned to the arena to chase the lure. It whooshed past at speed and getting a photo of it in action was incredibly difficult we will see later in the week whether I was successful or not. For now these three shots of the falcon on its perch will have to do.

I think the first picture is my favourite because it is looking straight at the camera with its piercing gaze. I have cropped the third image to get a little closer to highlight the detailed markings on its face and to show off that imposing beak.

Mute Swan

I love swans, they are such regal and graceful birds and walking along the canal near Garstang I spotted this solitary bird swimming between the boats which were moored along the canal side. 

I approached to take a few pictures and getting down low to get the shot the swan made the most unusual noise, a rasping sound that made me think it had something stuck in its throat. It seemed friendly at first but as I leaned forward to get a better angle it lunged forward a couple of times almost hitting the lens so after a few shots I left the swan to itself and went for a brief but very pleasant walk along the canal and a happy ending to my day out.

Out of the Jungle

My favourite character from The Jungle Book was Bagheera the panther and my favourite big cat is the Jaguar (Pantera Onca). At Chester Zoo they have a great enclosure for the Jaguars as part of their conservation program. 

The black panther was outdoors, sheltering in a small cave and at first it was quite difficult to see and this picture was taken using my 150 - 600 mm lens fully extended. I like the fact that s/he was looking directly at the camera.

The other one was indoors looking very regal and relaxed and although in full view I had to shoot these pictures through the glass. It was difficult to get a clear shot without reflection but I think I did OK, in fact the final crop is better than OK and I am very pleased with this portrait of one of my favourite animals.

A Scavenger Am I?

So there I was sat on the harbour wall at New Quay, watching the dolphins in the bay and eating a delicious pastie and soaking up the early afternoon sun when along came this beautiful Herring Gull. Quite clearly it was looking for scraps and its friend not quite so bold hung back a little waiting to see if it was worth getting a little closer.

Although these birds are quite common and known for scavenging food from tourists there is something quite regal about them and I think the first and last of today's pictures show this in the gull's pose. 

They can make a pretty fearsome noise too and as I focused trying to get a nice close up shot this chap started to screech really loudly. The second and third shots were taken seconds apart as the bird was mid screech. I have slightly cropped the second picture so it is possible to clearly see the speckled eye and the detail around the eye and inside its' mouth. I am really pleased with this particular shot and it shows that even something that may seem common and uninteresting is actually quite beautiful.