More Markers for Yearly Comparison

Some more of the wild flowers out in the garden this week.
Groundsel, dog violet,dandelion, ivy-leaved toadflax, forget-me-not,snake's head fritillaria, red dead nettle, alkanet and celandine

Dunnocks in Full Song

We took Phil's new lens for a trip to Wicken Fen this afternoon. This Dunnock was singing repeatedly from a ground level perch - in contrast to the one taken on the Exe Estuary that inconveniently sang from a skyline twig. As the lighting conditions were very different it is quite difficult to compare Phil's 400 mm prime (first two images) with my 100-400mm zoom. More tests to follow - or perhaps not as it is not always wise to compare lenses - just enjoy the moment.

Spring flowers in Toft

I intended to record the wild flowers as they came out in Toft this Spring but somehow other projects took over so here are some of the flowers that are out on the naturalised areas of my garden today. From left to right on top row - primrose, coltsfoot with all stages from flower to seedhead, ground ivy. Below - cowslip, lady's smock and kingcup. Bright conditions so not great photos but I would like to be able to compare from year to year what species are out on different dates. A few more to follow later.

Birds around Exeter

We went for a walk round Aylesbeare Common looking for Dartford Warblers. Very few birds around but a male Yellow Hammer performed well and also a Willow Warbler



We then went to Ladram Bay, a cove with red sandstone cliffs and standing pillars, which were dominated by Herring Gulls. One of them caught and consumed a crab watched by a hopeful pair.

Inca Terns at Living Coast Torquay

A couple of sharp images for Ian in agreement that the 100-400 mm can produce very sharp images when performing at its best. See his blog to follow the dialogue!

Tractor and Gulls

Difficult conditions to photograph but I couldn't resist the patterns of the gulls in the air as they followed the plough

Beach Huts at Exmouth

Today was cold and grey in contrast to the previous sunny days. Not a particularly good day for the beach but a few hardy souls were braving the wind on Exmouth promenade.

The beach huts in Exmouth are separated from the beach by a fairly main road, which must be a bit noisy and polluting on a busy summer day. There was only one occupied today and here two ladies were enjoying doing a jigsaw as the cars passed by.

Redshank

Some images of Redshank taken in very contrasty light. They were busy displaying and mating with a great deal of noise.

Stourhead

We walked around the Stourhead Estate this morning in beautiful sunshine. This family were worried they would spoil my photo but I assured them that they added greatly to it! I used the fish-eye on the daffodils and oak tree, photographing at two distances from the flowers. I like the more distant one best.

Red Kites

We stopped near Watlington on our way to Newbury today and spent a while photographing the Red Kites in beautiful lighting.
Clouds built up later and the kites look great silhouetted against the sky.

Other Images from Pensthorpe

Great to see a hare fairly close from the woodland hide. The holly in the background is a bit distracting but he didn't want to pose anywhere else. The Lapwing and Redshank were having a constant fight for territory.

Nature Red in Tooth and Claw (and Beak)

Spring is in full flow at Pensthorpe with lots of the birds displaying and mating. There are also the first ducklings around. This is a sad but very common occurrence - a Lesser Black-backed gull has come into the lake edge and waited till the mother mallard was not able to guard all her 12 ducklings and then made off with one. Only a small thumbnail but you can see it larger by clicking on the image

Tests on Lenses (for Phil!)

Taken with the 100-400 X 1.4. 300 X 2 and 100-400 with no extender. I fear you can see the difference!

Reed Buntings

We spent a couple of hours yesterday photographing Reed Buntings - always one of my favourite birds and I was not disappointed.

Some of the males had very black heads, others were more mottled. I particualrly like the brown head of the female plumage and this bird was very photogenic as it kept lifting its head feathers.

I wanted to get the birds in flight but didn't manage one that I was pleased with - Phil has a great shot on his blog. It is a good excuse to go back again (and again ......)

Grantchester Exhibition and Our Swallows are Back

I have missed quite a few days as the Exhibition at Grantchester has taken up all the daylight hours (and more). The weather was not good over the Easter weekend here in Cambridgeshire so we were disappointed with the number of people walking around the village and therefore being tempted to visit the Exhibition. However, we were delighted to welcome many of our Cambridge Camera club members and other friends as well as a fairly steady stream of visitors new to us from all round the world!

My best-selling image was of snow in the Orchard Tearooms (it felt as cold as this in the Hall first thing in the mornings!) and also the Mill Pond in Autumn.

Our Swallows returned for the first time today. Great to know they remember their way home.

Black Country Portraits

I used my free return ticket to the Black Country Museum today and the weather was very similar to our last visit in November - very cold, windy and wet. I used the Shift and Tilt lens, which meant a very slow rate of working as I find the most reliable way is to put the camera on live view and focus using the magnifier.