Sweet Songbirds

 At this time of year with the buds emerging on trees and bushes it is still fairly easy to spot birds as they find a perch and sing out to mark their territory or try to attract a mate. That being said you do still need to be patient because they don't always stay still for long and it can be difficult to actually locate where a particular song is coming from. It can be really frustrating when you finally spot the bird and then it flies off to a new vantage point and you have to start again.

The greenfinch in the first of these shots was a case in point. I could hear him singing for ages before I spotted him and just when I did he flew off, luckily I was able to follow him and got close enough to fire off a few frames. I know that I probably don't see the full beauty of his vibrant plumage but I do appreciate what I see and being able to enjoy his song.

The bird in the next two images is a Dunnock. It is an easily overlooked bird given that it has fairly drab colouring but it has a really beautiful song which more than makes up for its lack of colour. It is still quite a handsome bird although in the second shot with it looking straight at the camera it does look a little fierce.

Misty Morning in Patterdale

On the valley floor and along the shore of Ullswater everything was shrouded in mist and a thick frost coated everything on the ground and in the trees. However ascending through the forest it was possible to catch glimpses of the fells rising above the mist to see clear blue sky and to feel the warmth of the morning sun.

It was a truly wonderful place to be.

The Forest

So the first of today's pictures is looking out across the forest from a vantage point above Wolf River, you can just make out part of the river as it flows towards Wolf Lake. although the sky was fairly overcast (heavy rain followed not long after) the colours of the forest stand out as they announce the start of autumn.

With the changing season there is also a profusion of fungi along the forest floor and so the second image showcases a couple of different species growing next to a decaying stump.

I have photographed lots of different fungi during my trip so far and will be posting more in the near future.

A Jungle V.I.P.

The Sumatran Orangutan really is a jungle V.I.P. 

It is one of three species of orangutans and they are critically endangered with the population in serious decline due to the relentless destruction of Sumatra's rain-forest.

At dinner tonight I asked everyone if they could choose to see any sight in the world what would it be, when it came to my turn I said that it would be to go and see orangutans living in the wild. I think that would be an amazing experience but the opportunity to do so is becoming ever more remote. I hadn't planned on posting this picture today but after my dinner time conversation it seems fitting to do so.

I was going to try and find something funny to comment about both of these pictures but I don't know about you but to me the orangutan in my first picture looks pretty sad, or fed up and the youngster in the second shot looks bored and while I love these pictures I couldn't find anything funny to say.

We are blessed to live in such a beautiful world with such diversity, it is sad that as a species we do so much to damage the world and harm its helpless inhabitants. I am glad to have had the chance to photograph these creatures at Chester Zoo, the conservation work they do there is so very important but wouldn't it be so much better if we didn't need places like zoos.