Nature
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Lockdown Photography Round up of 2020
As we come to the end of another year, how many of us could have foreseen, last Christmas, how 2020 would turn out? On the 9th March I did my last live photo-club judging, at Bramhall in Cheshire. That night I suggested that we bump elbows but, of course there’s always one or two who insist on giving the usual hug and kiss. We knew something was coming, but not how fast! I had already decided that I would cancel a talk on the 11th March, which would have been given to an audience of about 100 people…they were very good about it and re-scheduled for November (which of course…
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Christmas Garden Birds
Oh my, have we had some bad weather up here! We’ve had such a lot of dark midwinter weather, rain, wind and precious few days with any bright light to speak of. Consequently, my bird photography has been very hit and miss for a few weeks…in fact, all the birds disappeared from the garden for about three weeks in November…and I can only suppose that there were berries enough and to spare on the many hawthorn and holly bushes around here and possibly lots of seeds in the fields next to our house. Then suddenly they all returned and with hearty appetites too…so, we’re back in business. Then, two weeks…
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Building a Bird Gymnasium
I've seen bird gyms made for indoor use to amuse pet budgies and parrots...so a couple of weeks ago, in late September, I decided that's what I needed...a series of outdoor natural branches and twigs to support "posing sticks". The article describes building the gym and shows the first few photographs.
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Summer Birds
My lock-down diary continues...with galleries of adult and juvenile birds in the garden, summer 2020, in the 5th and 6th months of isolation. I am not sure if it's the reduced air pollution or how I'm feeding them that is bringing so many birds to the garden this year.
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A Few Minibeasts
Insect photography can be frustrating…it’s not the right temperature or it’s too windy or it’s too wet and, above all, I prefer someone to go out with me! So, this year, opportunities have been far fewer than usual. Some subjects have been harder to find locally, apart from a surfeit of small skipper butterflies, as seen in my previous post. Oldham and its environs have been in local coronavirus lockdown measures, from 22nd August, and we’re forbidden to meet anyone from outside our own household, even outdoors, until Covid-19 comes down again. In this post, I’ve collected together some more of my favourite edits from recent weeks…but for now, it’s…
