Nature
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Great Crested Grebe and Moorhen families
I was very lucky to be able to watch a young family of Great Crested Grebes last week in a local pond. By the time I had found out about them, the chicks were over a week old and becoming independent in getting around the pond, though they did occasionally hitch a ride on either mum or sometimes dad’s back. Unfortunately they were at quite a distance from the shore on both days that we went down to watch them, so taking photographs was a challenge. Closer in, near the edge of the lake were two families of moorhens darting in and out of the reeds and it was possible, from time…
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Cumbrian Spring
Most of my friends already know that I don’t manage to get up for a dawn shoot very often…I can think of three or four times is all. Last week I was lecturing in Cumbria and a photo-friend, who lives in the area, offered to spend time with me photographing the northern lakes. No surprise that it was almost 12 noon by the time I was ready to leave Cockermouth. All things considered, we were very lucky, with some lovely mild weather (for March) and calm waters on Buttermere and Crummock Water. The Buttermere pines are a favourite subject for many photographers but it is probably 20 years since…
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Mandarin Ducks
I went with some friends to look for kingfishers but instead we found a group of wild mandarin ducks. Originally from China, these ducks have now become established in the wild. The male has wonderful plumage, with orange feathers each side of the face and feathers sticking up like sails at the back. We were not blessed with strong light but, as the sun went down, the warm colour of the light really brought out the beauty of the birds. There were several pairs and I am sure that we will be going back to visit again.
