Botanic Gardens, Cambridge 1 Anglesey Abbey 9

The hoverfly on a Helleborine was the only photo that I managed to take before we were told to leave the Botanic Gerdens in Cambridge due to high winds (this is the second time CCC outings have been disrupted by gales at the BGC). Undeterred, we transferred to Anglesey Abbey and joined the crowds on Snowdrop watch. I was using the 100 macro with an extension ring, hoping to get some images for focus stacking but, even where sheltered, the flowers were moving. The closeup of the crocuses is the only stacked image.

Goosanders at Paxton Pits

Paxton Pits were very quiet and very chilly on a drizzly windy morning but we still enjoyed our walk and short time in the Kingfisher hide. There were three female Goosanders swimming and arguing with the Great Crested Grebe, several goldeneye (not photographed) and lots of Tufted ducks.

Lent Bumps in Cambridge

A man balanced on a tight rope across Jesus Green and boating crews with greenery in their hair - a typical Cambridge afternoon. The Lent Bumps are rowing races held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge; they began in 1887. At the start, signalled by a cannon, each crew is separated by a distance of about 1½ boat lengths (approximately 30 m or 90 ft). Once the race has begun, a crew must attempt to catch up with the crew ahead of it and bump (physically touch or overtake it) before the crew behind does the same to them. A crew which bumps or is bumped must pull to the side of the river to allow other crews to continue racing. Any crew which bumps then swaps places with the crew that it bumped in the following day's racing and picks foliage from the bank to decorate themselves.. The process is repeated over four days, allowing crews to move up or down in the overall order of boats. 

Reflection Sculptures at Wimpole Hall

Wimpole Hall has a series of sculptures in their gardens by Theo Gayer Anderson. Certainly a change from the classical sculpture and fun to photograph. We didn't find the fifth one - another visit?

Cambridge Rugby Union Football Club Scrape a Win over Southend (26-19)

At the end of full-time it was 19-19 and raining. CRUFC then got a penalty that they missed - look at the faces! but the sun came out and, in the n'th minute of injury time,  James Ayrton (our CCC sponsored player) broke away (Chris can confirm this) and passed to Corey Hircock; here you see him about to score the winning try. Other images for my reference as using 1.4 extender with 100-400 mkII lens on 5D III. Looks like DOF shallow enough at f8 (minimum for this combination)

Addenbrookes Charitable Trust is the Main Charity for the September Dragonboat Festival

This morning, ACT organised a 'race' between a Scudamore's punt and a Dragon boat on the Cam by Magdalene Bridge. Started fine but the rain soon set in. Undeterred, the ACT staff, including their Chief Executive Stephen Davies, took to the water in the Dragon boat. The festival itself is on September 12th at Fen Ditton. Rest of images on FlikR
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28596054@N07/sets/72157648578937244/

Squabbling Coots

A selection of images from a morning spent with squabbling coots. They really go for each other but there are no apparent signs of injury at this stage in the season. The bright sunshine helped with the shutterspeed and ISO but did give problems with contrast on such dark birds