E-luminate 2018 Cambridge

Compared with previous years, the illuminations in Cambridge this year were disappointing with few buildings lit up. However, the reflected lights on the wet pavements and the umbrellas made it an interesting photographic evening. Acouple of just evening shots at the end

 

Wimpole Ground Feeding Birds

We went searching for the Hawfinches or even the reported Brambling but nothing around other than usual Greenfinches, Tits and this splendid Song Thrush that pulled worms out of the leaf litter very regularly, a Dunnock and Chaffinch with the deformed legs due to viral infection. Photography is a bit limited at the moment as in charge of 5 and 7 year old granddaughters and 5 month Golden Retriever pup while Mum and Dad are in Rome.

Great Yarmouth Concrete

As usual, I was attracted but the various concrete structures during our recent trip to Gt Yarmouth. The  700ft Wellington Pier was originally built in 1835, the seventh pier to be built in Gt Britain. The council bought the pier in 1900 and the original wooden pier was reconstructed, and a pavilion built Over the year's successive owners were unable to halt the pier’s deterioration until it was eventually taken over by the present owners, Family Amusements Ltd. The pier was closed in 2004 for improvement and extensive restoration works. This included the removal of asbestos cladding and then the refurbishment of the steel and timber substructure and decking, with much of the structure now encased in concrete.

 

More Birds - Different County - RSPB Rye Meads

Another day and another reserve - this time Rye Meads in Hertfordshire. Not a lot about but here a photographic record of the species seen for the diary (missed a photo of a very cautious Fox that prowled around the Gadwall hide where there is a dead goose). Using my old Canon 1D mk IV and 400 f4 lens and surprised at the amount of noise even at ISO800. Have got used to the very clean images from the Fuji system!

Birds at Aqualate, Shropshire

We visited Aqualate Reserve near Telford on Friday and were rewarded with lots of birds  in the sunshine (Cormorant, Mute Swan, Blue Tit, Coal Tit and Reed Bunting shown, also Nuthatch, Great Tit, Wren, Long Tailed Tit, Robin, Great Crested Grebe). I only had a 50-140mm lens so some images are quite large crops.

 

Snowdrops Supreme at National Trust's Attingham Park

The snowdrops are at their best at Attingham Park. We walked round the estate looking at the deer and trees before arriving at the best of the snowdrops so the light was dropping quite fast giving a surreal feel to the carpets of white. I didn't get the close focus point right on some of the shots but have included them as I love the light through the petals and the patterns they make. The house itself looked great in the afternoon sunshine as did the Fallow Deer herd.