19/02/2021-Garden birds and Lakeside walk 

I took the first picture in this photoset of a Goldfinch in the garden with a slightly different whiter feather formation on its back currently. It was interesting how sweet one looked with just a little bit more white on. I also took other pictures I was pleased with the second and third in this photoset of Woodpigeon and House Sparrow out the back before I went out for my lunch time Lakeside walk. I took the fourth, fifth and sixth pictures in this photoset on my walk today of a tree on the way to Lakeside and two landscapes there. 

I walked up the northern path in light rain and down in the relative shelter of the path west of the westernmost lake. Here I was absolutely thrilled once again to see one of the halves of one of the Great Crested Grebe pairs sat on a nest nestled in beneath where the trees delicately overhang the lake. I took the seventh picture in this photoset of this bird a shot I had tried before this year but not succeeded with as its very hard to focus through the tree branches but I just about managed to get a sharp picture or a mostly sharp picture of the bird today I would say before I walked on. So I was delighted with this. I am glad its so hard to get a picture as it means the nest does have protection of the trees, but its still very close to the path and quite vulnerable I know predators have been a problem for them in the past. So we’ll see how they get on. It was very exciting and amazing to be close to a nest and really see a key sign of spring in the nesting season edging closer and closer. I cannot wait for this season to grow and for all the courtship, breeding and the eventually young bird behaviour to really come on. 

On a sad note I did spot a bit of plastic in the nest this species is known for collecting all sorts to line nests it does put a dampner on it a little I just hope the birds and any prospective young ones don’t come to serious harm because of it. I had to just be very happy on my lunch time walk whilst working from home I got to enjoy an important part of the year for one of my favourite birds. 

I walked on taking the eighth, ninth and tenth pictures in this photoset of the lake just past the grebe, a view from the hidden away little bit with a big bench in the woods I discovered on Tuesday and a view looking out from the trees further down the western path in woods which I used to get back as it rained quite hard into the field at the back of the site. The ninth one I tried to take a version of on Tuesday but I forgot to bring a spare camera battery with me that day and my battery ran out when I was taking that shot and I couldn’t do it so it was good to get it done eventually. Also looking out from in the woods I spotted a great sign of spring further down on the walk with lots of daffodils in the nearby Concorde club’s grounds they always are nice here and great to look at. It was wonderful to see this sign of spring on a walk this week after spotting some in our garden now a very key and hopeful early sign of the time of year. Today taking me into the weekend nicely I hope you all had a safe week and have a good weekend. 

28/08/2020-Common green lacewing, Stock Doves, Common Tern, interesting skies and more at Lakeside and at home 

I took the first picture in this photoset with my macro lens at lunch time of a lovely common green lacewing on our kitchen ceiling. A fantastic green insect to see with its see through wings I find it really nice and enjoyed taking a photo of it. At lunch time it was a classic will I won’t I in terms of if I went for a walk, where and for how long with it quite showery. In the end I waited until the shower stopped to go out but it did rain a bit again when out at Lakeside. I took with me just my camera and with one lens on and my binoculars, phone and a coat, and I went for my macro lens as it was already attached by that point having photographed the lacewing. I soon regretted not taking my big lens as when I walked down the path taking you to the lakes I got my best views yet of a regular group of to me quite special Stock Doves I’ve been seeing at Lakeside the past month or so a very exciting thing for me here so close to home. In the field that they frequent I got pretty close and with my big lens it would have been by far my best chance to take a picture of one at Lakeside so far a bird I did photograph last year in the New Forest. I kicked myself for not having my big lens and only the macro obviously with no zoom its a closeup lens so not appropriate to capture them with. Alas when I considering taking a shot in their direction with the macro and doing a super crop when I got home to salvage something they flew of. But it was just nice to have those views and its been a nice journey with these birds these last few weeks. When I first saw them it was an “I believe those are Stock Doves type thing” but I seem to have seen them better and better as time has gone on and to get really nice stationary views of them on the ground in my binoculars was fantastic today. 

On the lens decision I do have to say though, I took a couple of pictures this lunch time with my macro lens that had I come with only my big lens I would not have captured as well and would have rued not bringing my macro lens. So on a day it was pretty wet on the walk and I wanted to protect my photography kit by not bringing it all in the bag but just the one camera and lens to shove under my coat with my binoculars around my neck if needs be its swings and roundabouts. The first of those pictures was the lovely great willowherb flower in the second picture a flower I have seen a lot at Lakeside this year I believe but only just learnt through seeing someone else tweet a picture of one so I was very happy to take this photo. The willowherbs a key strand now of my year of delving deeper into flowers. As I walked around the lakes it really started to rain, I took the third picture showing this and fourth that other macro one that could perhaps only have been with the macro lens of some nice black berries growing on a tree over the lake by the bridge. Just before that though, whilst I have photographed them nearly every day for the past few weeks, I would have had a good opportunity to photograph the Great Crested Grebes and chicks which I saw pretty close to the side of the lake but it wasn’t meant to be. 

Just before I went out for a second walk this evening after work I took the fifth picture in this photoset of a sky scene out the back what with the changeable weather again today I saw and photographed lots of special sky scenes today a notable thing about the day. The sixth, seventh and eighth pictures in this photoset I took on the walk featured a nice sky heavily or were of the sky. It was a walk where we had our fair share of rain as well. 

As I approached the lake a delightful sight greeted me when I saw a Common Tern flying over the lake and watching it for a good few minutes it dived to fish and did this several times over beach lake the main one and the lake behind it which was special to see. There was a second with it, two youngsters I could see here. A walk around to the lake behind it revealed an adult also spectacularly hunting many times above the Great Crested Grebe family which was lovely too. It turned out there was one adult and two juvenile birds later on sitting on the buoys on beach lake like where I had seen my first of the year from the other side in April that I could see. Like but obviously the opposing end of that spring sighting; these were ones passing through I believe as I have known terns here before this year but they are not one of the regular birds here a little bit inland and modest sized multi-used lakes really in an urban area, so these will have been passing through on the return migration for the autumn I believe but nice to even have a scrap of habitat here to host these birds I mostly see at the coast and big inland water bodies. So it had come full circle for me in 2020. Most of all it was stunning to watch them glide and dive over the water to the backdrop of the delicious sky scene of the sun just about poking and glowing through thick and dark clouds. A simply beautiful scene which I loved seeing. 

With my big lens with me for this walk in case I could see the Stock Doves again - I didn’t but this is a good future exercise walk mini project to aim for - I tried to capture the Common Terns in fight. I’d had it a bit with the light at that time with it still feeling a little dark as my crucial moving subjects setting blurred everything I captured. I then with them flying quite close overhead I love photographing terns and have had a strong last few years for it, decided to go for broke a bit and just switch it back to my auto sometimes the settings on the camera don’t cope well in low light but auto always gives you what you need. Harder to get this shot though as I didn’t have the fast shutter speed all of a sudden but I just about made it work for a flying picture I tweeted on Dans_Pictures from tonight. I also took the ninth and tenth picture in this photoset of a Mute Swan and one of the young terns. What a brilliant evening with these birds, a perfect way to start the bank holiday weekend, have a great a safe one all. 

Watercolor ACEO: Bird watching

ACEO: Original Watercolor on 140 Lb acid free cold press watercolor paper.

Measure2 1⁄2 by 3 1⁄2 inches

Year:2014

©José Melgratti All Rights Reserved