Rhamphotheca

Here is another pencil drawing I did last night from a close-up photograph of a winter Common Gull (Larus canus) in London. It will feature in the, almost completed, Ayrshire Bird Report 2008. Look closely into the roof of the mouth and you will see rows of small spines, used for holding prey which might easily slip away.

A rush of Coots to the bread

Using a focal length of 22mm with up to 1" 1/3 exposures I tried to capture the feeding frenzy of a winter Coot flock. For once, some wet and dull weather was ideal for this though it was necessary to wait for the light levels to drop considerably towards the end of the day.

A beakful

Some photos from last weekend, including an 'in-yer-face' Mute Swan and a Cormorant, bronze statue-like, in the golden autumn light.

Movement and still life

With days of rain still forecast, I made the most of a window of sunshine yesterday with both a dawn start in Regent's Park then a lunchbreak trip to Kensington Gardens, squeezed in to a normal working day. I photographed a statuesque Grey Heron through the illuminated foliage of a willow tree before attempting some slow shutter pans of birds in flight. Later at the Long Water some striking autumn sun was falling on the Cormorants and herons, with a little fill-in flash producing the result below. Here I also attempted some slow shutter pans on the passing Coots.

Full day session with the herons

Blue sky most of the day on Saturday and so I spent seven hours getting to know the herons a little bit more...

Warning: this post may contain herons

On Wednesday morning I made it into the city before dawn to capture more Grey Heron images. The sky was completely clear first thing and a full moon was looming large. It was nearly 45 minutes after sunrise before the first direct rays reach over the tall buildings, though was still soft enough to iluminate the heron's full array of contrasting plumage tones from white to black. Two hours later and I headed on to work.

Another lunch in the park

... and the herons were also relaxing. In a couple of months the excitement of the breeding season will begin again. Anyway, I continued to break the rules and shoot into the sun.

Wet London Centre

More rain today. Hoping for some blue sky, frosty days soon. A trip to the London Wetland Centre produced Water Pipit, Jack Snipe and Peregrine though little to photograph. I even dipped the lens into a collection pen to photograph the New Zealand Shoveler, something I usually avoid.