Photograph Gallery to 30 November 2015

'A Frinch Kiss'

'Budge Up'

The British National Bird.

 Long-tailed Tit – 1 of the 4 varieties that visit our feeders everyday.

© Elliot Sampford

Photograph Gallery for week ending 15 November 2015

It's been over two months since I published an image of a Robin here on my weblog. I think that's a long enough gap. So here is one I shot (no it's still alive) at the beginning of this week.

Green unsociable: Gold hungry.

Goldfinch - Bird in Fight.

Nut takeaway by Blue-tit Express.

Greenfinch angel.

It's Saturday so it's 'Strictly come Flying'. I hope you think it's fab-u-lous and not a dis-a-ster.

'Graceful Greenfinch'

© Elliot Sampford

My Photograph Gallery for week ending 6 September 2015.

Starling - 'Poised Poser'

Lapwings in 'Fright Flight'. Couldn't decide which I prefer, so here are three images.

Long-tailed Tit.

Robin.

© Elliot Sampford

Photographs for week ending 12 July 2015

Starling Discord.

Click on any image to see larger copy.

Chaffinch.

A Brown Hare in the evening sun.

I haven't published an image of a Robin for five months – and now it is our National Bird – so I thought it is time.

© 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.

My Photographs for week ending 1 February 2015

A second week of only publishing photographs on six days but there are ten images.

A Canada Goose and a Greylag Goose.

I thought I would show you this photograph not because of its technical quality – it was taken straight after a snow shower and the windows were wet – but because I do not think it is usual to see two Robins happy to be this close together; unless linked to a nest site. I had not seen it before so I just grabbed my camera and took the shot, on whatever setting it was on, just in time before one hopped away. I will keep a look out to try and get a better image if two meet up again. Perhaps they were out on a date as the time of year for mating is getting nearer.

It looks like the Blackbird is starting to build a snowman!

Eating while it was snowing on the 29 January. I couldn't decide which one to show you so here are both – the second has some falling snowflake smudges.

A light-hearted, but planned, duo of photographs taken on the 30 January. The moon at 15:37 hrs …

and then, as near as matters, four hours later at 19:34 hrs

 You can see that as it has arched through the sky it has rotated clockwise approximately 15 degrees.

A Moorhen traveling by water…

and by land. They were shot (photographically) four days apart this week.

I thought I would show you a photograph of a Magpie. However, then I remembered the rhyme – one for sorrow, two for mirth – and as some of you may be superstitious here are two.

As an aside you may notice I've used the first two lines of a version of the rhyme attributed to Lincolnshire in 1780 – well that is the location of these images.