Bearded Tits

 I had a couple of first time experiences yesterday in that I made use of the good weather and some unexpected free time to head off to RSPB Leighton Moss in Silverdale. That was the first of my firsts because although I have been a member of the RSPB for some time and former colleagues at work had advised me many times that I should visit I had never been to Leighton Moss before.

It is an amazing wetland habitat with so much to see, there were red deer, egrets, various wildfowl species, marsh harriers, and more dragon flies that I have ever seen at one time before. At one point I was watching a great egret feasting on dragonflies by picking them off reeds and snatching them from the air with such precision.

The second of my firsts was to see a pair of Bearded Tits, or Bearded Reedlings as they are also known. I had been told there were two potential sites where I might be lucky enough to spot them although they tend to be more active at the beginning and end of the day so there was no guarantee that I would spot any. Leaving one hide I was told by some other visitors that they had just seen three of these wonderful birds and told me where I should look. When I arrived there were two other photographers who were also on the lookout but they had not seen them yet and one had been waiting over an hour so I wasn't very hopeful.

I was determined not to give up too quickly and after a little while I spotted a male on the reeds at the edge of the clearing, unfortunately it was obscured by the reeds so there was no photo op, I could at least say that I had seen one and that for me was quite exciting. It was also enough to make me stop around a little longer and see if it ventured into a better spot. I was not disappointed and finally I was able to capture a few shots of this stunning male Bearded Tit. They are a little soft because of the distance being pretty much at the effective range of my 100 - 400 mm lens. The guy next to me was using a 200 - 800 mm lens and the difference between his images and mine was noticeable and left me with a touch of lens envy, however I am happy with the shots I was able to capture and my first sighting of these wonderful little birds was a real treat making the journey to Leighton Moss well worth it.

Familiar Faces

 

I sometimes think that we undervalue some of our most common species of birds. We might go to a local park or walk along a river bank or canal and frequently see Mallard ducks, Mute Swans and even Tufted Ducks and think its "just a swan" or "just a duck" but get more excited when we see something a little more unusual. Maybe I am wrong but familiarity does often mean we take things for granted and  in doing so we can miss out on how special these birds are.

Take a look at the colours of the sleepy mallard's head and the lustrous sheen of its breast feathers, as it rests in the shade of a tree. It is nothing short of spectacular.

And how about the pure white feathers of the tufted duck contrasted with its shiny dark wing feathers, not to mention that impressive plume and the bold yellow eye. It is more than just a black and white duck it is beautiful and elegant.

Talking of elegance the mute swan is so serene as these three head shots show. They look majestic when they sail along a river with their wings curled round but they have really impressive features too and are worth a closer look.

So next time you are out for a walk, in the park or by a river or lake take not of the ducks and swans and appreciate what makes them special. They are not "just anything" they are a thing of beauty.

Oooh That's Nice!

 Oooh That's Nice! is the reaction I got for the first of today's images, which for me is closely tied with the second image as my favourite. 

I really like Foxgloves, they are such dramatic flowers and especially when you get a nice straight specimen like the first image it is really special. The colours are so vibrant and the pattern inside each flower is so striking, it is no wonder they are so effective at attracting bees.

I like the second image with the contrast between the bright flowers and the stone wall, there is something quintessentially English about this.

When I took the third shot I thought it would work a little better, the fern in the foreground is in focus as are the flowers with a nice shallow depth of field so overall it is a nice image.  However, I think the foreground is swallowed up by the green background and perhaps needs more contrast, I wonder whether it might look better for someone with better colour vision than me.

Matchsticks in Negative

This tiny fungus made me think of matchsticks in negative. They open out to look like antlers.

I am always amazed at the huge diversity of fungi, it's no wonder I get obsessed.

Migrants

Just like yesterdays shots of the dragonfly these images of a Painted Lady butterfly  were taken using my 150 - 600mm lens (handheld). In some ways these were harder than the dragonfly because it was even more restless and almost constantly on the move.

I learned just the other day that Painted Lady butterflies are a migratory species that start in North Africa and finish their journey as far north as Iceland and even Greenland however their life span is relatively short and the Painted Ladies we see in the UK are actually the grandchildren of those that start in Africa.

Oriental Beauty

So this is Levi.

I had gone to visit my niece and meet my great niece for the first time. Levi is one of the family's cats and normally he is quite shy, or stand offish but now that everyone's attention is on the new baby Levi was more attention seeking than usual and he  even sat long enough to have his portrait taken.

He really is a good looking chap!

Changing The Guard

Tamron 150mm - 600mm f /5:6.3

ISO 250  309mm  f/7.1  1/500

ISO 250  483mm  f/7.1  1/500

I missed posting something yesterday because, well just because, but I didn't want to let another day pass without some more great pictures and I hope you will agree these pictures don't disappoint. 

They follow on from my selection from Sunday night which if you didn't see them I hope you will take a few minutes to take a look.

I have called today's post Changing the Guard because that is what is happening, one of the adult swans had been sitting on the nest and the other after having a good stretch came to relieve the other and I like the way they carefully switched positions with balletic precision. Then with a look of pride (if you can attribute that to a swan) s/he stands guard before settling down on the clutch of precious eggs.  I think this was a wonderful scene and something I felt privileged to witness. I really love the second picture.

but now for something completely different...

...this is cropped from the first of today's pictures and in colour rather than black and white.  Can you see a totally different creature in this image? 
I have lowered the exposure which has given a pink tint to the white feathers and with the upturned tail and the dip to the wing tips it resembles the face of a pig at least I think so and I can thank my eagle eyed son for spotting this detail in the original shot.

Hidden Beauty

Ok, so there is nothing hidden about the beauty in the first shot, it is quite simply a stunningly beautiful butterfly and he is putting it all out proudly on display.

In the second image however the butterfly is of a much different kind, preferring to hide its light so to speak. Yesterday's image of the Chameleon was all about body language and camouflage and so it seemed right to show two different, contrasting creatures today with the bold colours to attract attention for one and the full on camouflage for the other.

There is so much to love about the world we live in.

Kingfisher

Over the next few days I will be sharing some random shots from past photo expeditions.

Today's offering is this beautiful kingfisher spotted at Mere Sands. It came after several hours waiting but stayed for less than 10 seconds so this was a super lucky shot.

Beauty and the Beast

I know that it is not very pretty but a close up look at the fly on this flower reveals some really good details (if you can bear to look) such as the speckled grey body and its spiky hairs. 

It also reveals details in the centre of the flower, for example who knew that the yellow segments at the heart of a daisy actually have black tips?

Having shown the beast I had to balance that with the beauty of the daisy which seems to shine in the sunlight. Often thought of as weed, like Dandelions, Daisies are really beautiful and deserve some recognition.

Remember there is a chance to win a limited edition print by visiting my facebook page just like and share the page to be in with a chance to win. The draw will be at the end of this week.

Pompon de Paris

I had intended to take a break from flowers tonight and I was going to move onto some of the architectural features of Bodnant Gardens but in the end I plumped for these three different varieties of rose. The first is Pompon de Paris and the last one is Rosa "zigeunerknabe".

Recently I was asked what my favourite flower was and my answer almost without hesitation was the rose and so I was obviously going to share some rose pictures from my day at Bodnant. Of course Rose covers a huge range of flowers, colours, shapes, sizes and of course fragrances. There is so much to love about a rose and hopefully you will love the ones I have chosen for you today.

If you look closely at the tight rosebud in the second image you will see the texture of the new petals and a fine covering of delicate hairs which perhaps you wouldn't expect to see. It just goes to show that it is always worth taking a closer look at things as there is very often much more going on than you would normally see.

Kestrel

This is an adult male Kestrel, it was perched on top of a tree surveying the area for prey. 

I love birds of prey and since I was small Kestrels have always been a special bird for me. I loved the story/movie Kes and for a long time I would imagine having my own Kestrel, perhaps one that I raised from a chick. I have always loved to see them hovering along the side of the road or above the hedgerows with such grace.

They are fairly small and delicate looking and in this shot you can see what looks like a mayfly just above its head, that and the buds at the ends of the branches give a sense of scale.

Not long after this shot was taken the bird was disturbed by some kids running by and it flew off but I had really enjoyed watching him at fairly close quarters.

Heavenly Flower

This really beautiful flower is a Heaven Lotus (Gustavia gracillima). It is a native plant from Columbia, fortunately I didn't have to go quite that far to find this specimen. 

Close up on royalty

So perhaps you were expecting something different when you read the title of the blog today but this beautiful Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is worthy of the title; there is something very regal about it with its bold colours and striking pattern. With wings outstretched it looks very much like a stained glass window, and close up it has such poise.

I think you will agree this is a real beauty.

Photography requires a great deal of patience, whatever subject you choose to focus on but with wildlife it is even more necessary and butterflies and insects in particular can be a real challenge. When you finally get the shot you want though, it is absolutely worth it.

Meet Napo

I have shared a couple of pictures of the Jaguars at Chester Zoo recently but no apologies for that, it is one of my favourite big cats and this is a great shot so take a minute or two and enjoy...

Look Into My Eyes!

I am sticking with frogs today and this gorgeous specimen is a Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix). They are also known as Amazon Milk Frogs, so called because when they are stressed they secrete a milky white poisonous fluid.

I think I prefer the Golden-Eyed  Tree Frog because it emphasises its rather beautiful eyes.

I have previously posted a picture of this frog in an earlier post but on that occasion it was a very different view so if you have a moment it's worth checking it out... so click on the link

Summer is Coming

From fireworks back to flowers but there is something of the fireworks in these pictures with explosion of colours and the tendrils of the stamen stretching out.

My clear favourite today is the first picture and I almost posted it on its own because I like it so much. I love the way the petals arch backwards pushing the stamen forwards and the little coils tempting bees to come and collect the pollen. It is such a beautiful flower.

Grace and Power...

As I said yesterday I love big cats and the Cheetah is one of my favourite species, such power and grace and terrific looks. 

Loch Ard two...

In September I posted one picture from my trip to Loch Ard in March 2011.  The water was crystal clear and it was mirror calm meaning that even though the sky was overcast the reflections were beautiful. I had such a great trip and got some lovely shots so wanted to share a few more today.  I hope you enjoy them, I will and I will enjoy the memories that they bring back too.