Morning Light at Hunstanton

In addition to the possibility of a stunning sunset, Hunstanton can also provide beautiful lighting for morning bird photography as the sun climbs above the cliff accentuating the intricate plumage of our winter waders, gulls and egrets. Sanderlings are always a challenge but worth the chase!! 

Slime Moulds and Mini Fungi

I was studying one of the several piles of logs and cut wood in the garden that I keep for invertebrates and fungi and found these slime moulds and mini fungi. The first two are a slime mould, Comatricha (nigra) and the next two an intriguing fungus,  Henningsomyces candidus. Next a yellow slime mould plasmodium and ?Jelly fungus followed by two stages of fungus, Hypoxylon ?howeanum. Finally what I started photographing a Woodlouse!! 

Paxton Miscellany

A mix of images from an enjoyable day at Paxton looking for fungi (Mycena species and Winter Stalkball) in the morning and walk with friends looking at birds etc in the afternoon 

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Oystercatchers at Hunstanton

 I returned to Hunstanton beach on Monday morning before heading home and spent a couple of hours in beautiful light with thousands and thousands of birds as subjects. The tide was going out revealing the extensive mussel beds and the tidal sands full of invertebrate food. Oystercatchers were the most numerous so here some cameos of this striking bird. The distant shot was part of a failed attempt to focus stack the huge flocks!

Hunstanton Sunset and Xmas Fair

I stayed 3 nights in Hunstanton over the weekend and took my camera for a walk each evening - two of them had good sunsets (usual quiz question - in what East coast seaside town can you view the sun setting over the sea?) The first one is particularly curious with a bird apparently sitting on the sun! The long exposures were all done with the Olympus live composite facility which builds up the image in 1 second exposures on top of an initial exposure. During some of these I moved the camera.