Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is a 40 minute drive away. Wildlife photography is my first love, but I have been inspired to try some landscape photography, particularly long exposure seascapes. Kimmeridge Bay is just along the coast from the more famous Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.
This is my first serious attempt. I used a 10 stop ND filter on a 20 mm lens, a tripod and remote shutter release. I held the shutter open for 104 seconds. It wasn’t windy so the vegetation in the foreground hardly moved. The sea state was calm, but what movement there was has been smoothed and a line of rock just breaking the surface in the bay is clearly visible.
Yesterday I practiced a new technique for me. The picture of the lake is a panorama created from three separate photos “stitched” together. It’s not flawless, but it got my creative juices flowing and I am excited at the prospect of maybe adding some long exposure shots together – watch this space.
Male chaffinch
I normally see one or two small birds in the woodland alongside the lake. This time I saw a male chaffinch. Its quite a common bird, but I do love the colours in its plumage: the white bar on the wing, the pink breast, the brown back with a green rump and the grey crown and collar.
Swan taking off from the surface of the lake
The swans were quite prominent. There were more than a dozen in one of the adjacent fields and a few on the lake coming and going. This one took off from the surface of the lake and passed incredibly close (see below). There was none of the honking you get from geese, but there was the whooshing sound of the powerful downbeat of its wings.
Swan passing in front of the cameraCanada geese – honking on their way
Canada geese are the most numerous species of goose on the lake. There are also Greylag geese and Egyptian geese. In a few weeks time we will see plenty of yellow goslings on the banks of the lake being supervised and protected by their parents as they feed on the grass and vegetation.
Bird on a wire (Starling)
This starling is “dressed” in its breeding plumage. Perhaps best known for their group aerial displays this one was enjoying some “me-time”. We spotted him as we headed back to the car, parked just off Ham Lane, where we also saw an unusual Jackdaw.
Jackdaw with unusual white feathers
My son saw the white feathers in the jackdaws plumage. “Maybe it’s an old one.” he said, as he looked at the colour of my hair. Cheek!
A gaggle of greylag geese gathered on the surface of the lake, The honking, calling and squawking increased in intensity, A crescendo of sound filled the air. First one, then three, then seven and thirty birds took flight, The air now filled with feathers, as well as sound. They flew low over the water, getting louder and larger, straight toward me, “Duck!” I thought. “Don’t be silly!” I chided, as I enjoyed the intensity of sight and sound. They flew so close, I could almost reach out and touch them.
This last weekend the RSPB ran its annual survey of garden birds. By all accounts the number of people submitting data increased significantly over last year and their were reports of people being unable to access the survey web page to record their count. Quite probably this was the ‘lockdown effect’.
My own count included 8 goldfinches. They are small birds, quite striking in appearance with their red face and yellow finch stripes on the wings. They normally form groups in the winter which may contain other finches, e.g. greenfinch, siskin, chaffinch. These groups are referred to as ‘charms’.
The UK winter lockdown continues. Yesterday we lost Captain Sir Tom Moore, a covid hero who raised over £38m last year on his 100th birthday for the NHS. The vaccine rollout continues offering light at the end of the tunnel, even as the virus continues to take its toll. This latest winter lockdown does appear to be accompanied by fatigue and weariness.
“It rained and it rained and it rained. Piglet told himself that never in all his life, and he was goodness knows how old – three was it, or four? – never had he seen so much rain.”
Winnie-The-Pooh, A.A.Milne, Chapter 9 …in which Piglet is entirely surrounded by water
Storm Christoph wasn’t too bad for us personally, although there were heartbreaking pictures on the news of its impact in other parts of the country.
But today the rain stopped and the sun came out. The birds returned to the feeders.
The Blue tits visited and sang whilst performing their acrobatics. I think I prefer US name Chickadee to the UK Tit, even though it probably would only apply to our Willow tit or Marsh tit. It’s so much more genteel.
Anyway, here is a Blue tit in our garden enjoying the sun.
Winter had denuded the deciduous tree of its foliage. Long, spindly branches reached toward the grey, cloud covered sky. On one of the uppermost branches sat a buzzard, still and silent, surveying the surrounding scene. The only movement was the head rotating, presenting a profile first one way then the other of its dangerous hooked beak. Suddenly with one powerful beat of its outstretched wings it was airborne. It circled overhead a couple of times and then was gone disappearing eastward over a hedgerow heading east toward a mix of woodland and open farmland.
Stephen's Wildlife 