Bird's Eye View

Whilst cycling on the way home through Highfields, I saw this shape wading through the stream. I couldn't make out what it was at first. So I got off my bike, and slowly and very quietly crept up to a nearby tree and waited to see what would appear.

I waited a few minutes and could see that it was a heron. A bird that I had not seen in the park before. As it started to walk away, I very quietly followed it, whilst getting my camera ready to try and take a photo or two of it before it flew away.

There are quite a few trees along there, so I managed to move to one closer without disturbing him.  I managed to take a photo or two, before it spread it's large wings and flew off in the direction of the Lakeside Arts Centre.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

Here's an example of some good graffiti that I came across, during my lunchtime walk.

The big question is, is it a two headed flamingo, or two flamingos?

Maybe the artist wants to keep us guessing. But my question would be about how long will they be on display before they are painted over?

Singing For His Supper

As I've had a day off work today, and it was warm and sunny, I had a potter about in the garden. Catching up on some weeding, planting and a general tidying up. While I was working away, I heard a bird singing in the nearby Leylandi trees.

Not a song that I recognised, so looking up, I tried to see what bird was making the sound, but it took me a while to find him hiding within the greenery.  I wondered if he would move, so I could get a clearer view of him. Anyway I went inside to get my camera and zoom lens. When I returned, the bird had moved to a better spot and so I was able to get a clearer view and shot of him.

I didn't recognise the species. It certainly wasn't a sparrow, robin or tit. So looking on the RSPB website, I think it might be a twite. Are there any ornithologists reading this that can confer or disagree with this?

Paddling Your Own Canoe

There's nothing quite like messing about on the river, well in this case a lake, on a sunny afternoon.

A Canada goose watches the action from the safety of the grassy bank as three friends are padding around the lake at Highfields.

Quackers

"Here's looking at you kid" is perhaps what this Canada goose is saying to me, as he poses in Highfields today.

The sun was shining in town, so I thought great, I might get some better shots of the blossom, but by the time I had arrived in the park, the skies had gone dark, and not only that, but it had started to rain.

Summer's arrived!

Showing Off

I bumped into another photography friend of mine this morning in Beeston Square. He was in the process of photographing a small display of birds of pray that are being cared for at a sanctuary up at Worksop. There were showing off the birds to help raise money for the sanctuary.

He shoots with a Nikon too, although I was taking my Olympus OMD for a trip today, as I was shopping and didn't want to lug my heavy D3s around with me.

This sparrowhawk seemed to be very keen on having his portrait taken, as he stood with his wings open for quite some time. So I fired a few shots off, and this is the one that I like the most.