Fledgling

 One of the nicest surprises during my recent visit to Ness Botanical Gardens was to spot this beautiful fledgling robin. I had stopped for a moment in the shade of a thatched shelter on the edge of the rock garden overlooking a pool. I could hear a rustling sound above but in the shade it was hard at first to spot what was making the noise. It was in fact two little robins that had clearly just fledged and were exploring the space above in the moss and straw of the roof. 

This little fellow had, I think, been feeding on bugs and spiders because as you can see it has some spiders web stuck to its beak.

You can get a sense of scale when you look at what it is perched on... its feet are tightly holding onto an LED light from a string of garden lights. The light fitting itself is about half the size of a typical matchstick, so not only can you see how small the bird is but also you can gauge how light it is given that it did not move the light or the cable at all.

As an adult this bird will have a striking red breast and a  beautiful song that will captivate anyone who sees and hears it. But, as a fledgling it would be easy to miss or overlook. I wonder if like the ugly duckling in the famous fairytale and song this little bird does not see its potential. 

The Dell

 There is going to be a decidedly watery feel to my next few posts as well as some long exposures.

Today's lone image is from Bodnant Garden. I had been watching a pair of Goldcrests and a pair of treecreepers in the trees along the banks of the stream when I noticed the way the sunlight was playing through these trees and I took a little time to set up this shot. I had to wait for visitors to step away from the small bridge, and as I was on a narrow path I had to ensure I was not causing an obstruction as I set up my tripod. 

I used a 10 second exposure here at f22 and I used a variable ND filter to compensate for the long exposure (I can't recall what setting I used for the filter) I think the overall effect with the "frozen" waterfall and the sunlight through the trees creates a really tranquil scene. The sound of the water as it flowed by was so relaxing, it was easy to get lost in the beauty of this place.

Foraging

 

I may have gone a little overboard today posting 6 pictures of 5 different bees but hopefully they will bring a little sunshine into your day.

As I mentioned yesterday the early spring blooms combined with the sunshine certainly brought out the bees so I had some fun trying to capture some sharp images. I shot these at 1/1250s using my 100mm macro lens. A fast shutter speed was necessary to freeze the motion of the bee in flight (pic 4) where its wing almost looks like it is crafted from glass. In that image and the last one too you can see the pollen sacs beginning to fill up.

Although the bees in the other pictures appear settled on flowers they were actually constantly on the move so again the fast shutter speed was essential.

Using a macro lens also allowed me to capture lots of detail, in particular I wanted o look at the difference in their eyes. If you look at the bumble bee in the first shot his eyes are smooth, as if they have a hard black shell, I wonder how it is actually formed and what the bee can see.

In contrast the black bee in picture 5 and the honey bees in the other images all have compound eyes, if you look closely you can see they are made up of a concave array of hexagonal cells. I wonder whether this has advantages over the smooth eye of the bumble bee?

What I only spotted when I started to process these images was that the right eye of the first honey bee on the bright yellow flowers is actually damaged, it has been pushed inwards, leaving a shield shaped indentation. Perhaps he has flown into some obstacle, I am sure it must have an impact on his vision, after all, imagine what it would be like if you got hit in the eye with a big stick!!!

A Rarity

 

I spent a couple of hours at Burton Mere RSPB reserve today and I was thrilled to get my first ever sighting of an incredibly rare bird. In 1997 there were just 11 male birds in the UK and the species was on the verge of extinction but due to significant conservation efforts they are back from the brink; last year 198 male birds were recorded across 89 sites in the UK. Despite the growing numbers they are still very rare and understandably news of its sighting at Burton Mere had drawn something of a crowd. 

I really struggled to see it and needed a fellow photographer to point me in the right direction. Looking at the top image can you see what it is? Can you even see it?

To make things easier I have cropped the image, so take a closer look below...

Even cropped it is hard to spot the beautifully camouflaged Bittern. I know its not the best shot but it really was a long way off and it it is so well hidden it was the best I could do and I have to say I was totally chuffed to see such a rare bird, for the very first time.

Springing to life

I have been somewhat preoccupied over the past week and now I find myself in France in a small town between Versailles and Paris.
I have spent the afternoon walking in a park. I spotted a few interesting things and some pretty flowers and I thought this curled vine looks really good.

New Shoots

Canon 100mm 1:2.8     ISO 200     f/3.5    1/200sec

By now these buds will be fully open and the sapling will no doubt be awash with leaves. I am not 100% certain but I think these are Sycamore buds. (If you know for sure please let me know in the comments).

I love the shape of these buds and the way the green and red scales open out as the leaf emerges in a blush of colour. There is so much detail in the newly forming leaf, it is quite amazing when you look closely at it. Looking at the second image it looks a bit like marine life, a shrimp or a barnacle perhaps. Or is that just my imagination?

Crocus

So I have gone for a splash of colour today.  With temperatures getting into double figures it looks like spring is definitely on the way and these beautiful Crocus emphasise that fact. Just a thought, what is the plural of crocus, is it crocus or croci or crocuses?  I'm sure someone out there will know and leave a comment to help me out...

I drove past this little glade the other morning and knew I would have to stop by to get a few pictures before the flowers fade.  I love crocus (I'm sticking with that for now) and seeing these reminded me of a visit to Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, last spring.  Anyone who has been to Harrogate at this time of year will have seen extensive beds of these flowers all around the town.  Its a lovely place to visit anyway but in spring these flowers are an added bonus.  These pictures bring back some happy memories.

Emerging Blooms

The  title of the post today is "emerging blooms" and follows the theme signs of spring started yesterday.

The first picture is of what I think is a Primula and I like the dark blue and bright yellow centre and the way the petals are unfurling.

The following three pictures are of daffodils at different stages of development, I like the bright colour and I like the fleshy texture of the new tips.  I also like the way the light shines through the fully extended petals.  Another glorious reminder of the coming spring.

Tomorrow I will be posting a few pictures of the birds visiting the walled garden, I hope you come back to have a look...

In A Walled Garden

Today, and over the next few days I am going to be posting images from the Walled Garden at Royden Park with the theme of signs of spring.

The bench in the first picture is set under a wooden arbour just inside the garden, in the summer it will be a mass of colour when the Wisteria is in full bloom, but for now it is just a peaceful spot to sit and listen to the birds which are becoming more active and vocal as spring approaches.

The Robin in the second picture is a case in point, it sat there singing at the top of it's voice, probably as a warning to the other birds in the garden that I was there.

The final two pictures today feature a rockery which has been planted with Daffodils one of which is already fully open giving promise of a burst of golden flowers in the weeks to come.

I hope you enjoy these pictures and feel a little lift in the knowledge that spring is definitely on it's way...