Spring Markers 2020

Every year I record what is in flower on around 20th March. This year, with the mild winter, spring appeared to start early but recent cold weather have probably slowed things down so there is a wide range of flowers in bloom at the moment from coltsfoot and celandine to plum tree blossom

Antigua Hummingbirds

Here is a collection of the Hummingbird images that I liked from our trip to Antigua. 1, 2, 5-8 Antillean Crested Hummingbird. 3, 4, 9, 10 Green Throated Carib. Unlike other resorts, there were no feeders in Cocobay, which made photography more challenging especially with the strong winds moving the flowers most of the time.

Signs of Spring at Paxton

On a sunny afternoon at Paxton, it felt like spring might come soon with the birds collecting nesting materials, showing off the pristine breeding plumage and stocking up on food ready for the busy times to come. 

Focus-Stacked Images from Antigua

At last, I have found time to process some of the Focus stacks that I took on our trip in February. These ranged from 6 to 25 handheld individual images.

 

Gardening for Wildlife

Rushden U3A Garden Club booked a talk from me with the title 'Gardening for Wildlife' and, though it meant writing a new talk especially for the event, I really enjoyed preparing for it and delivering the lecture yesterday. I keep part of my garden for Meadow flowers - the front area is grassland, which is mowed in late August only  (Scabious, Cowslip, Buttercup, Clover, Knapweed). Two areas in the back  are sown with cornfield annuals one in full sunlight and very dry (Corn Marigold, Corn Cockle, Corn flower etc), the other a shadier, moister area with Red campion and Salad Burnet. Hard to believe these will be dense with flowers and, hopefully, insects in a few months time.

Southend's Iconic Buildings

I made a brief visit to Southend this morning after talking at Benfleet club last night, hoping to have a bracing walk along the Pier and back but it was closed along with almost all the rest of the resort. So visited two of my favourite buildings and did composite images in really dull light. 

Originally named the Metropole, the Palace Hotel was built in 1901. It was one of the last great Edwardian Hotels. It had 200 bedrooms, a billiard room and a magnificent ballroom. During the First World War it was temporarily converted into Queen Mary's Royal Naval Hospital and treated over 4,000 soldiers.

In the 1950s & 1960s the Hotel got into financial difficulties and was then bought by Polish refugee Motel Burstin who turned the building into an old people’s home. 

In the early 1970s the Palace provided cut price bed and breakfast but fell into disrepair. In 2007 is was purchased by the Radisson group and the Park Inn Palace Hotel remains one of Southend's most prized hotels.

The Kursaal is a Grade II listed building, which opened in 1901 as one of the world's first purpose-built amusement parks.The word Kursaal means a "Cure Hall" or spa, but was adapted to mean a place of healthy amusement. Southend's Kursaal became the largest fairground in the south of England. 

Southend United F.C. played at the Kursaal until 1933, when they moved to Southend Stadium.The Kursaal declined in the early 1970s, with the outdoor amusements closed in 1973, and the main building finally closed in 1986. Although the outdoor amusements were redeveloped for housing, the main Kursaal building reopened in 1998, after a multimillion pound redevelopment, containing a bowling alley, a casino and other amusements. Now Tescos have put a shop there