A Blue Tit investigates and buds galore

The best laid plans......

Today the (downstairs) carpets are being cleaned - this should have started at 12.00 noon thereby giving me time to get out for a wander this afternoon. At 12.15 I rang - where are you? Been delayed can our "man" come at 2.00 p.m.? OK said I but made it known I wasn't pleased. At 2.10 I rang again - where is he?? He's just packing up from last job - he'll be with you by 3.00 p.m. He'd better be, says I, or else!! The man duly arrives at 14.50 explaining "it wasn't my fault - they gave me an extra job between yours and the previous one" - I silently sigh and lie down in a darkened room for a while.

So effectively, that's my day wasted and as I type (at 16.45) the "man" is still doing is stuff and there's an all pervading aroma of damp wool! Oh lovely! Doh!

So decided to try out the Tamron 90mm prime Macro lens with the Canon 50D as I'd not used this combo before. So it was around the garden with various buds about to burst!

The results of my labours. I'm still not keen on this lens - *thinks - maybe a an e-bay moment"

These two Blue Tit pics are not with the macro lens. There were two visits by a Blue Tit today and "pecking marks" are distinct around the hole. I've seen a Blue Tit investigating the box already this season but today the Tit did not go in. Still - there's time yet.



Catkins on the willow


Hellebores


Crocus after the rain last night

and a Tulip about to bloom

Sedums just starting to grow and have collected rain water

The buds of Sarcococca humilis aka Christmas Box
(the flowers have a wonderful scent)

First Camelia flower


Viburnum - scented flowers

and an indoor Orchid (Phalaenopsis) aka Moth Orchid

The birds are coming back

With the onset of cooler temperatures, the Goldfinches and other birds are beginning to increase in number in the garden.

It was a very grey day again today (oh please can we have some sun soooon), and, as I sat as day dawned watching the birds, I had a four-legged visitor again - a fox. This seems to be quite a young one and was very timid. I noticed as s/he left the garden that its rear right-leg was badly injured and it couldn't put any weight on it - I hope it recovers very quickly. I believe its the same one that visited not that long ago.

A couple of pictures which come into the category - see something in garden - grab camera -shoot through double glazing on dull day. Technically, the pictures are dreadful but the subject was too pretty to resist





In terms of bird visitors - my early morning count was:
17 Goldfinches - whey hey
8 RN Parakeets
4 Wood Pigeons (hardly a berry left now on the Holly tree)
19 Feral Pigeons (grrrrr)
1 Starling
2 Great Tits
1 Dunnock
4 Greenfinches
3 Chaffinches.
3 Blue Tits
1 Magpie
and 2 Grey Squirrels.

No Jay or Nuthatch today

To assist in holding the camera more steadily when using the heavy lens, especially in low light shots, I've purchased an Ergo Rest - and thanks to Diane for the introduction and more recent demonstration. Unfortunately I haven't been able to try it out, since its delivery a couple of days ago. But I did try a shot of a RN Parakeet high up on the Eucalyptus tree today (the Para being the one who was high up - not the photographer!) and this is the result... - I can see an improvement.


Over the years I've lived here I've been gradually developing the garden and it's almost complete now. One thing I have endeavoured to do is to plant for all seasons' interest and, in particular, for autumn colour.

I've been waiting for some sun to take pictures, but if I leave it any longer there will be no colour to photograph so, a quick (albeit not well lit) tour of garden colour.








A Penstemon - still in flower..

Night and Day..... and a LTT

There was almost a full moon last night (13 October) and tonight it will be a full moon - but, today is very cloudy and likely to be so during this evening.

I decided to experiment with taking pictures of the moon. These shots are hand-held (because I was too lazy to fetch the tripod from the boot of my car). I took these from a front window of the house, just using the window-sill to steady my hands - shouldn't have been so lazy and fetched the tripod!!

(The shots are all from the same window)

Moonlight
This picture was taken first with the cloud partially covering it:
f5.6, 1/60 second, 400mm, auto setting


f10, 1/200 second, manual setting, 400mm


Sunrise
Then this morning, in suburbia, the sun rose against a dappled sky.
f13; 1/200 second, Ap. priority, 400mm


f13; 1/2500 second, Ap. priority, 400mm


Edited:
Just after I'd published this post I went outside to clean the windscreen of my car. This coincided with the (almost) daily routine of several Long-tailed Tits; they land in the conifer on the opposite side of the road - then fly to the telephone cable that runs to the house and from there into my back garden to the feeders.

Tonight, I had the camera handy so fired off a few shots. A flock of Ring-necked Parakeets then treated me to a fly-past - travelling west - which is in the direction of the Rugby Club roost - I wonder if they're back there!
(Lousy lighting but they're a record shot)

Ooops - nearly missed this one!



Fly-past of Parakeets

Fantasies

Although I walked the dog this morning, it was without my camera because - it was raining!! Oh what a surprise - after all, it is summer in the UK therefore I shouldn't be surprised!! OK - we both got some much needed exercise and fresh air - and that was about it.

So what today then?

When seeking an opinion about yesterday's swan pictures, it was pointed out to me, with great diplomacy, that they were overexposed! Now that is really annoying! Not that it was pointed out to me, but that the statement is correct - they are over exposed.

So that got me around to playing with the exposure, levels etc. to a greater extent than I would normally. And I decided to get creative. Some of you may like them, some of you may not like them at all.... Conjuring with pictures is a very personal view....

Another visit to LWC - trying out a camera.

Today, at short notice, I met a friend at the London Wetland Centre; Hugh had offered to lend me his Nikon D70 with his Sigma 50-500 Lens (this doesn't have IS (Image Stabilisation)). My camera is a Canon D20 and, for birding, I use a 100-400 with IS. The loan was to enable me to compare differences. If I were to use the Canon lens with IS switched off, then my pictures aren't very good.

I've also been dissatisfied with my results recently - even with IS!!

Well - firstly the extra 100 focal length certainly makes a difference; secondly, the Nikon and lens are a little heavier but not much.

Getting used to having all the function buttons and menus programmes etc. in different places was quite challenging!

Outcome: I was very pleased with the results. Some pics were hand-held whilst others I had a fence rail or a shelf (in a hide) to take the weight of the camera. All those of the young Blackbird were hand-held but I have to admit it was only about 8ft away! This can't be a true comparison although some of the shots wouldn't have been quite so good with a shorter focal lens.

Herewith the fruits of my labours - some subjects I'm afraid are the same as Saturdays but not that many.

Tomorrow (hopefully) I'm going to try some comparative shots around the garden, using both cameras and taking the subjects with the same settings, focal length and without IS (on the Canon) - if I've got the patience that is!

If anyone notices any particular differences, please feel free to let me know - good or bad!

Something floral to start with





and the birdy pics...

Mr. House Sparrow was one of the first shots with the camera and
I hadn't really got the hang of this - the subject refused to face the camera though!

Coots again..




A return appearance of the young Grey Heron


A young blackbird cooling down - it was lovely to watch.





Lapwing

Mute Swan

Moorhen

Collection bird (apologies - can't remember the name of it)

ditto....