Category Archives: nature

The Third Day of Christmas; the robin

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winter bird

The British or European Robin, erithacus rubecula

The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?
He’ll sit in a barn and keep himself warm
and hide his head under his wing, poor thing.

– traditional nursery rhyme

Wisley robin 2

The robin is particularly associated with Christmas and is a popular image for Christmas cards.  This is probably because the robin is one of the few British birds to sing all year round.  Its song from mid-December into spring is particularly strong, as males seek to defend territory and attract a mate.

spring bird

Harlequins

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ladybird

Some shots from September found languishing on my hard drive.  I chose to use a high key look for these images, to capture a sense of the delicacy of the ladybird’s acrobatics on dry grass stems in my garden.

ladybird

This beetle is a harlequin ladybird, or harmonia axyridis.  The harlequin was brought from Asia into America and Europe as a form of biological control and it spread quickly, arriving in the UK in 2004.  It has since caused a rapid decline in indigenous species of ladybird.

ladybird

My own observations, for what they’re worth, bear this out; I rarely see anything but harlequins in my garden now.  Pesky things.  That doesn’t stop me photographing them though…

A dusting

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Actually, there was post today, but very few trains!

Actually, there was post today, but very few trains!

Winter arrived this morning with a dusting of snow.  Really, we had no more than the merest of sugar frostings (not even as much as in these shots from 2009-10) but it was enough to freeze the train network.  Commuter chaos ensued.  Oh dear.

Two swans wisely ascaping the commuter chaos.

Two swans wisely escaping the commuter chaos.

 

On Bournemouth Beach

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Dorset

What a wonderful afternoon I spent on Bournemouth Beach on Friday. You have to love the British seaside out of season; gorgeous expanses of pristine sand (Bournemouth is a Blue Flag beach) and hardly a soul about. I set myself a challenge and went equipped with only my wide angled lens (16-35mm on full frame).

Dorset

It wasn’t the most spectacular of sunsets but gentle, beguiling, like the lapping waves. When I came to process these images, they seemed to demand a naturalistic approach.

Dorset

With the horizons more or less in the centre of the frame, these images break the rules. I think that composing with the horizon on a third often works well as the photographer thereby communicates clearly what he or she is most interested in, the foreground or the sky. However, here I found myself wanting to efface the photographer from the landscape. And, truth be told, I just couldn’t bring myself to crop out any of that view. Half is the new third?

Maternity ward

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aphids

Seeing this, one can understand why greenfly are public enemy number one in the garden. The aphid’s latest ‘baby’ has not even dropped to join its siblings yet, but another baby is already being pushed out.  And the aphid ‘mum’ is feeding at the same time.  Way to multi-task!

Over at The Shed Gallery blog today I am discussing some of my favourite images by other Shed creatives.  And not a greenfly in sight, I promise.

Spider in red

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macro

This shot didn’t make the cut first time around but it has been growing on me so I thought I would share it. The spider was completely hidden under sumach leaves so the light is poor but I like it anyway.

Over on The Shed Gallery’s Blog today, my post is about photographing flying bugs. If you have been reading Focused Moments since the beginning, you will already know the piece as it is almost the same as one I posted here in April. If not, why not pop over – I share all my secrets, such as they are 😉

Still Autumn, just…

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Painshill Park, Surrey

Today the leaves have begun to fall in earnest.  Flurries billow under the wheels of passing vehicles and the windscreens of parked cars are patterned with a tapestry of gold and orange.   Although the season is nearly over,  I thought I might share some more Autumn shots, taken during my recent visit to Painshill Park in Cobham, Surrey.

Painshill Park

The Mausoleum

Painshill Park

The Gothic Temple

Painshill Park

Autumn foliage

Painshill Parkm

Harvestman

Painshill Park

Coot on golden pond

Painshill Park

Painshill Lake

For an earlier post where I talk about some of the history of Painshill and share some more images, see here.

Autumn unending

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funghi  This year Autumn seems to be extra colourful and extra long.  I have been gazing all week at the extraordinary hues of the sycamores and beech trees in my neighbourhood.  Some photos will follow in another post. But I thought I couldn’t let Autumn pass without at least one shot of another characteristic part of the season, funghi.

macro spider on webAnd then of course there has to be a minibeast.  This shot of a spiderling will never be a competition image – the background is too busy.  But I could hardly resist sharing the little critter’s autumnal livery.

flight

Finally, here’s a truly terrible shot but I include it because it is my first ever recognisable photo of a bat in flight!  Karen Anderson, of Modern Memory Keeping, and I went for a morning stroll in Painshill Park the other day and to our astonishment spotted this bat flitting about between the trees.  Of course, I had my macro lens on, but I gave it a go anyway.  What the little thing thought it was doing out and about at nearly noon is anyone’s guess.  I suspect stocking up on some last minute protein before hibernation.

More endless Autumn next time.