Abbottsbury Kestrel

Saw this beauty in the distance on a coast walk between West Bay, Bridport and Abbottsbury in Dorset. The closer I got the further away she flew. Then, just as I neared the end of my walk, she flew right over, stopped and posed for me. I couldn't have asked for more. As she flew off after a few minutes, and with a huge smile on my face, I thanked her for the great photo opportunity. Made my day.

Bowdown Wood Nature Reserve

Ain't nature purdy? Lovely gnarled up tree at Bowdown Wood. Other interesting stuff included this fungus;

And these Fungii;

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Canada Geese at Dogmersfield Park

Spent a lovely Sunday morning walk along the Basingstoke Canal and through The Dogmersfield Park Estate to Tundry Pond. Perfect timing for the arrival of three seperate squadrons of Canada Geese flying in.

 A wonderful experience which made the walk a memorable experience. The Canal was quiet and tranquil, spoilt only by the odd cyclist, jogger or stalking photographer.

Altogether, a beautiful morning. Looking forward to more trips along The Basingstoke Canal.

Summer colours

I know! I know! It's another Starling. Perhaps I should start the Starling Appreciation Society. I think that acromyn is taken? Couldn't resist posting this gorgeous bird. The thing I like most about Starlings is the fantastic range of colours they display and they move through adolescence. This great iridescent example graced my bird feeder the other day. Lurvely.

Tower Bridge

I never tire of this shot. The first time I've ever actually visited Tower Bridge in London. As we came away, late afternoon, I turned to look back and saw this beautiful sight. The low sun was shining through and sitting perfectly on the bridge. This has been my desktop for months now and I have no plans to change it.

Bird on a wire

I may have mentioned before. I need a better lens. I have professional aspirations and amateur equipment. I am always looking for the close up shot which is usually too far away. When this Sparrow showed up on a recent walk along the Dorset coastline, I quickly grabbed the camera. As usual I had the wrong lens fitted as I had just been taking landscape shots. I fumbled around whilst remaining calm and quiet, managing to fit the zoom without disturbing the cheeky chap. As I focused the image, the sun broke through and made the shot. Lovely jubbly, happy days. I like to get at least one memorable photo whilst on a walk. This will do.

Pitlochry by night

These shots were taken in 2006 shortly after I got my DSLR. They show the Pitlochry Dam and lake in Perth and Kinross. The beautiful stillness of the water reflecting the stunning sky caught my attention. The Dam itself is bathed in yellow lighting which gives a dramatic look to the structure as you approach from downstream. A truly excellent place to visit. Provision was built into the dam, for trout to travel upstream and a camera and infra-red monitor was installed so that visitors could see the trout as they pass through the special underwater tubes on their journey up river.