Photograph Gallery for December 2015

December 2015 has been a quiet month for me on the photography side of my life.

'Watching the Watcher' [Koala – aka Squirrel III.]

Rather than just publish this image I thought I'd tell you the story behind it.

It was nearly 14:22 hrs. and we had just finished our lunch. I was feeling frustrated and down as I'd had to waste valuable photography time today; during a bright, sunny morning; to take my car to the service garage. When I returned home there was very little activity from the birds or squirrels in my garden as they had already been for their brunch. I hadn't taken any worthwhile photographs up to this point in time and the quality of the light was failing fast as the sky filled with dark clouds.

I got up from the dining table and looked into the garden.

Everything suddenly changed when I saw this male Sparrowhawk perched amongst the nut and seed feeders hanging in our crab-apple tree. The hawk intended to interpret a different meaning to the term 'bird feeders': they are there for the birds to feed from but he intended for birds to be feed from them.

A quick dash upstairs to get the Canon and a few shots were fired off through the kitchen double glazed French-door glass before the hawk left as suddenly as it came.

Frustration had been replaced by excitement and satisfaction as you can probably tell from this ramble by me. It turned out to be a good photography day after all: it's good to be a photographer.

PS. ISO and therefore image noise was too high because of the poor light but who cares I got him.

 'Dunnocks are not Dull'.

'Lapping Ripples' by G Squirrel.

Blue Fairy at the bottom of my garden.

A 22 K bird which, with its many friends, brings a golden glow to any garden on a dull winter's day.

© Elliot Sampford

My Photographs for fortnight ending 15 February 2015

I only published photographs on social media on two days during week ending 8 February I decided to make this posting cover two weeks. However, there are 19 images for you to view.

Our squirrel vandal with his ill-gotten gains on the morning of the 5 February.

An unexpected visitor to our garden on the morning of the 8 February: its visit was brief. It is a Black-headed Gull in its 1st-winter plumage.

You will possibly think I have gone mad – perhaps I have.

 

I've recycled, an old, unused, little shed that sat in a corner of the garden by converting it into a photographer's hide. I've moved it into the shrubbery bed; positioning it close to the crab-apple tree in which the bird feeders are hung. A little bit of camouflage on the roof to help it to blend in, and I will let the japonica and neighbouring shrubs grow a little higher. I've also put a couple of off-cut branches into the ground in front of the viewing window. In the summer these will remain leaf free giving the opportunity for clear views of resting birds – that's the theory.

I hope to be able to show you some better, clearer photographs of my garden visitors in the future.

My first published photograph from my new hide was on the 9 February and was the first that I've shown of a Dunnock. He was on one of the new perches I mentioned I put up. Satisfaction when an idea works out.

A Blue Tit also photographed on the 9 February.

I know a Robin is a clichéd subject for a wildlife photograph but I took it and I like the result.

Peeping from the Forsythia.

I think they (two Blue Tits, a Long-tailed Tit and a House Sparrow) thought I could not see them.

Goldfinches photographed between the 10 and 13 February.

A handsome Blackbird.

Sometimes possibly an arrogant one.

I hope you enjoyed the images.

© Elliot Sampford.