Mute Swan Preening

The flexibility of this Swan's neck and the positions it adopted were extraordinary.   Presumably this was to preen/scratch its head rather than scratch the feathers on its back.   After all that backward neck bending, it folded its head into its chest!

Greeting Cards

A bit pushed to find something to post these days so decided to include some Greeting Cards I've recently had printed.   It isn't like me to move so far away from original images but I have been having fun with filters and in particular Twirl.   Maybe someone out there will be the recipient of one of these cards one day!

Trees viewed from the Great Ouse

The first two images are in colour and the last one monochrome.   They are typical of trees to be found in the Fens on cold winter mornings and set the scene.   I keep returning to the Lazy Otter just in case I get some better images of Owls or Harriers......

Frosted Vegetation

A really hard frost last night and morning photographs to confirm it!   Let's hope these plants, which must have been lulled into thinking winter was over, will maintain their strength through this cold weather.

Short-eared Owl and Male Hen Harrier - Lazy Otter

What a surprise - not only another sighting of a Short-eared Owl (perhaps the same bird) but a Male Hen Harrier flew south this morning across the Great Ouse!   On morning dog walks I'm an opportunist in that I hand hold the camera and hope to get a good enough image!

Research Park Skies

The pastel colours of the sky and clouds this morning were special.   It had been the coldest night of this winter so far and there was a hard frost.   The fourth image is a large 'flock' of Gulls which rose up from the lagoon near the hide.   No way of knowing what had unsettled them.

Cormorant

This isn't a special image and I can't work out why I like it.   I guess I like the simplicity of the composition - a telegraph pole, wires and a Cormorant - and it's a bit ludicrous too.

Lazy Otter - landscapes

The light was interesting yesterday morning and looked as though it might threaten a precipitation.   Some might say there is too much 'emptiness' between the cloud and land to make a balanced composition.   I love the expansiveness of the scenes.

Lazy Otter - Cygnet Landing

I returned to the Lazy Otter yesterday morning in the hope of seeing an Owl again - but nothing.   Instead a Cygnet landed close by.   I wonder when a Cygnet becomes a Swan.   This Cygnet is at least as large as a Swan but not all the feathers are yet white.

Two Different Owls at Lazy Otter

Not having seen an Owl at the Lazy Otter before it was a special morning to watch and photograph a Short Eared Owl and then a Barn Owl.   All very exciting.

Lemon Blossom

We've had a lemon tree for several years now and it continues to 'do the business'.   How strange that a plant can carry fruit at the same time as setting flowers for the next crop!   It is a very 'messy' plant so it's difficult to get attractive photographs.   Shame the scent can't be detected from photographs.   The first image shows the profusion of flowers with a lemon yet to reach maturity.   The second one features part of a lemon (green still) above a flower and buds.   During summer months the tree is out in the garden.

I also found there were two other plants in the house bearing white flowers - and I'm never averse to trying to photograph 'white'.   The white Orchid flower is followed by white Alstroemeria (cut flowers).

Wicken Fen from Upware Marina end

It is always worth visiting Wicken Fen.   The first image is monochrome although the colour version doesn't have that much more colour!   It is a typical view of the Fens in the early morning with plenty of recession.   At times the light was lovely when shining on flocks of birds in flight.   The first were Canada Geese, then masses of Lapwing twinkling and darkening as they changed direction, then a closer view of Greylag Geese with very blurred trees in the background - pronounced differential focus.  The Kestrel posed nicely but was still too far away and had a busy background.   Just have to keep trying.............