A few things that I feel are worth of sharing.
I'm impressed with the image stabilisation on Nikon's Z8.
I didn’t anticipate the image stabilisation on Nikon’s Z8 to work so effectively with a 100-400 lens, a lens that can be challenging to hold steady when shooting at a 20th of a second. I decided to experiment with a slow shutter speed to capture the movement in the water, and to my surprise, I got the blur in the water while maintaining acceptably sharp foreground vegetation.
I don’t usually carry a tripod, and I can see the need to do so diminishing!
Our fascination with the weather is known far and wide, so when we find ourselves in the midst of a prolonged period of wet and sometimes windy weather, few are better placed to notice and comment on it than us Brits. All too often (and with good reason), we are less than complimentary about yet another run of wind and rain, given its impact on our local environment and our local wildlife. All too often, bird numbers are in decline if we have prolonged wet weather during the breeding season. But a recent report from Nature Scotland has shown that what is bad for one species isn’t always bad for all.
According to the report, the authors have seen an encouraging increase in some woodland birds since 1994. This includes an increase in the number of the woodland and garden visitor, the chiffchaff. This resilient warbler, despite its rather dowdy appearance, has been making its presence known with its distinctive call more and more in many parts of the UK. The numbers of another regular garden visitor, the greater spotted woodpecker, have also increased over the same period, a trend that seems to be national, so that we now have a resident population of around 140,000.
However, the report also brings to light the rather sobering reality of the decline in the number of curlew and black grouse, to name just two. These predominantly upland birds are thought to have suffered due to our wetter summers. Although they are not garden birds they are of equal importance to those who visit our gardens and their decline is a stark reminder of the impact climate change is having on our wildlife.
Nesting activity is also shifting, something highlighted by a pair of kingfishers who began nest building at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire in late February. I suppose if your diet is mainly fish, it doesn’t matter when you nest as long as the water level is not too high and the surface isn’t frozen. Sadly, this flexibility isn’t available to birds that feed on insects. This is another reason why, in the run-up to the breeding season, it is advisable to feed your local birds regularly. If our unpredictable weather continues, the birds may become reliant on what we provide.
At the time of writing, the clocks are due to go forward in a few days’ time, which is just as much a tangible indicator that spring has arrived as the explosion of hawthorn blossom, singing blackbirds and the arrival of puffins at the coast. Let us hope that this year will see us have a break from the continual conveyor belt of rain that comes in off the Atlantic. We could do with a break from it, our farmers could do with some dry weather, and so too could our wildlife.
The last time I went into the tunnel at Chirk on the English/Welsh border not far from Wrexham, it was aboard a CRT boat.
Thankfully it was a calm day with no traffic on the Llangollen Canal so the surface was like a mirror.
After taking the shot the guy you may just be able to see in the distance told me he met someone the day before who had taken some shots in roughly the same place.
When she checked them she found a ghostly shape in one of them, but was certain she was alone in the tunnel entrance at the time.
Not sure how it true it all was but it made for a good story.
This shot, and a few more, have been added to the Waterways gallery if you'd like to take a look.
It has been some time since I last visited Lake Vyrnwy in Powys so I was well overdue to return.
Rather than head straight for the dam itself I took one of the paths that take you a long the river that flows away from the dam.
In many ways it is just as interestng as the solid grey granite dam itslef. And despite having to dodge showers on a chilly February afternoon, there were a lot of others there enjoying an afternnon out.
The only dissapointment was the RSPB facilities on site - or lack of them. Given that the charity is partly responsible for running the site I had expected more from them.
I'll drop some more shots from the viait into the landscapes gallery.
Although I have walked around this location many times and have always been fully aware that right next to this nature reserve is a sand mining operation, I'd not seen it in this light before. I’d not seen a visual connection between the two landscapes and how one dominates the other.
When I say "this light,” I mean that the sun shone on this cold winter’s afternoon and highlighted the plant and equipment that loom over this tranquil pool.
The reflection, which isn't as obvious in this shot, also emphasises the clash between the industrial and the natural, as the image of the grey steel machinery appears in the water and in the background.
The irony of this scene is that without the extraction of sand from this area, the pool that has become the focal point of this nature reserve and provides local fishermen and women with somewhere to enjoy their hobby wouldn't exist as it is a flooded sand pit.
Maybe the working pit will soon provide an opportunity for the reserve to expand further and, in doing so, make the area a whole lot quieter.
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A blog post initially posted on Medium.
For many years, I’ve fed the birds in my garden, wherever that garden happens to be. Quite apart from wanting to help as many birds as possible make it through difficult times, I’ve also enjoyed watching them at reasonably close quarters. Feeding in the garden is a little like gardening (not that I’m much of a gardener), but my understanding of horticulture is that you plant, feed and nurture what you have sown and reap the rewards in the month to come. It’s quite easy to see the similarities with bird feeding — except for the planting bit! The reward is seeing an increased number and diversity of birds visit your personal nature reserve.
Currently, there is a lot of activity around the nest boxes at the moment. I’m writing this in mid-January, and although we’ve had a run of cold days and plenty of rain, we’ve not exactly had a bad winter in the Midlands. This is hardly surprising as the days of prolonged periods of snow and ice do seem to be a thing of the past due, in no small way, to the changes in our climate. As a result, spring seems to get earlier and earlier.
With snowdrops making an appearance in the garden and in the surrounding hedgerows and a noticeable increase in birdsong (particularly from the robin who likes to break into song early in the morning below a nearby street light), I think it might be time to help with their preparations for spring. During the winter months, I’ve offered the birds an increased amount of suet-based food, peanuts and occasional fruits, and I’ll continue to do this as the year unfolds. In addition, I’m now offering some live food in an effort to get the birds into the best possible condition for the coming breeding season.
Decisions as to what to feed can generate a wide range of ‘opinions’, but I feel that with the physical demands of the potentially harshest part of the winter to come, followed by the need to build nests and lay eggs at a time when naturally occurring food can be in short supply, would suggest that it can’t hurt to lend a hand. In fact, it would seem that some people in my local area are taking things to a new level. In a local wood, laid with a number of trails for people of all abilities, I found a number of benches and signposts topped with a small pile of bird food. Someone is bringing mixed feed on the walks with them and leaving small quantities at various locations. I’m not sure if Forestry England would encourage such activities, but it just goes to prove how popular bird feeding has become.
You could argue it is our duty to provide supplementary food. After all, it is the actions of mankind that have contributed to the shifting of the seasons. As a result of these climatic changes, the emergence of insects is often out of step with the hatching of the young birds who depend on them. The actions we take in our own gardens are not going to mitigate a global problem, but if we all do our bit, we can make a difference. After all, the combined area of all of our gardens is larger than all of the country’s nature reserves put together. It is thought that they cover an estimated 10 million acres. That is a lot of potential beaks to feed!
With the number of birds visiting the garden showing a marked increase and a lot of nest box prospecting going on, the hope is that they will make use of the mealworms on offer at the feeding station. My main concern is our local cat population doesn’t notice any additional activity. Sadly, we are surrounded by these bird botherers [I am being polite} who are only too happy to pay a visit to see what they can predate.
Despite these potential issues, let’s hope for a successful breeding season, one that results in an increase in the number of young birds that survive to fledge. Be that in your garden or in your local woodland.
Once again the River Severn has burst its banks and inundated homes and businesses in and around the town centre.
This funeral directors office was just on e of the many businesses impacted by the flooding which took many days to subside.
What you can't tell from this picture is the smell of the water that was washing around the streets that would otherwise be busy with traffic and pedestrians. Sadly all too many people across the country will be only too familiar with these sights and smells.
But with the climate continuing to warm up we will have to get used to these events happening more and more.
Santa takes a break from his hard work in the run up to Christmas 2023 - or so it seems.
I spotted this Santa having a rest and looking somewhat deflated, a feeling I'm sure many of us will feel over the coming days. But I, for one, am looking forward just over 24 hours from the time I'm posting this, to the Winter Solstice when, for us in the Northern Hemisphere the daylight hours will be slowly increasing.
To anyone who sees this I'd like to wish you all the best for the festive season. Let us hope for peace in 2024 - though I don't hold out a lot of hope.