Rare Breed

Canon 24 - 105 mm 1:4L

ISO 200  105mm  F/10  1/100 sec

ISO 200  105mm  F/10   1/100 sec

ISO 100   105mm   F/8.0   1/250 sec

The bird in the third picture today is an Eider Duck and I spotted him sitting enjoying a quiet moment in the shade of some tress near a small ornamental lake. He has really beautiful markings and the pattern on his back in some way reflects the dappled shadows on the ground int he background.

The bird in the first two images is a Scania Goose and it is a rare breed native to Sweden. It is a hardy breed derived from the Greylag Goose and is able to tolerate the climate in Southern Sweden throughout the year. It really is quite rare however with only 172 being registered in Sweden in 2011 (according to Wikipedia) and I don't know whether that number has increased or decreased since that time.

This particular specimen was part of a small flock in the Slottsskogen park in Gothenburg. Apparently these birds can get quite large, too heavy in fact to fly. I think they are quite a pretty bird and I particularly like to confident pose in the second picture.

Water Feature

Canon 24 - 105 mm 1:4 L

ISO 200 105 mm  F/13  1/6 sec

ISO 200  105 mm  F/20  1/6 sec

Although I really like the warmth of the colours in the first picture of this water feature I think it looks better in black and white. How about you?

Always Watching...

Tamron 150 - 600mm

ISO 2500  600 mm   F/6.3   1/320 sec

ISO 800   350 mm   F/5.6   1/320 sec

These pictures were shot in Gothenburg in Slottsskogen a fabulous park near the city centre.  There are lots of paths and wooded areas, there's even a small zoo with native animals so plenty to see and we spent several hours wandering round and there were lots of photo opportunities.

Here we have a Fieldfare and a Western Jackdaw.

At first I thought the bird in the first picture was a Song Thrush but I wasn't convinced so did a bit of research and found that it was a Fieldfare although I think it may be a juvenile because it was smaller than Fieldfares I have seen before and the head is less obviously grey.

The second bird was seated on a fence and was staring intently at me. I was somewhat surprised that it allowed me to get quite close before flying away.