Frosty Toft Golf Course Walk

A few images from the very frosty dawn on January 11th - I was surprised to find so many golfers out on the course - frost must make it difficult to find the ball! Back in the early 70s, when this area was rough pasture, we once ringed 10 different Kingfishers in one day on this stretch of the stream during a similar cold period (thought to be on the move towards the coast following streams etc). I intended to walk further up over the fields towards Wimpole Estate you can see in the distance in the panorama but decided on breakfast instead!!

 

Icy Conditions and January Webs Count at Paxton Pits

The first two images are taken during our January Wetland Birds count at the back of Rudd  Lake and a view of Hayling Lake with frosted Water Soldier - these were the only two view points with any numbers of birds and then Gulls, Coots and Swans with no Ducks or Geese. The other images were taken on a later walk round looking at the iced vegetation and puddles. Final couple from the start of my car journey at 8am as the sun was rising on a hoar-frosted landscape along the Hardwick Road.

Technicolour Sunrise in Toft

With clear skies and minus 4 degrees, yesterday's sunrise was spectacular - bright yellow/orange skies contrasting with the heavily frosted foliage. I decided a walk across the Golf Course might give some atmospheric shots but got distracted en route to the Church Drift by the colours and light patterns in the village and some frosted fungi, berries and daisies!

Happy New Year to 'Old Friends' in Toft

These two Hawthorn trees in Toft's Great Meadow (yes there are two!) are old friends that I have known and watched grow together in perfect harmony for the nearly 60 years. Their branches make a perfect shape as if they are one. I do not know if they started as one very small sapling that split or two that germinated together. In the Churchyard the Snowdrops and Aconites are showing quite a few blooms. A bit sombre in monochrome but it has been very grey recently!!

Focus-stacked Fungi etc

As well as the previous blog post of single-exposure images with my Fuji Compact, I also took several focus stacks with the Olympus 60mm macro lens of the various frosted specimens and also this daisy among the frosty grass and leaves.