Happy New Year everyone. I hope your Yuletide and New Year celebrations have been plentiful and that the year ahead offers you good health, prosperity, happiness and endless photo opportunities.

To kickstart the new edition of the fabulous "Show us your great photos" thread, I offer not a pic but a video. We took this last night and it shows, in all its glory, the incredible firework display we offered our neighbours from the comfort of our balcony. If you watch the video you'll see our neighbours' fantastic fireworks going off in the background - and then there's ours. 

This is what you get when you buy a box of mini fireworks from your local cheapskate supermarket (Albert Heijn) for the princely sum of 10 euros!  Still, it was so crap it was a laugh, which means it actually offered great value for money. I hope the vid of our box of damp balcony squibs also raises a smile with you.

Happy New Year!

 

A Few shots of the Herons at Poolsbrook Country Park Yesterday

Nice pics pal 

On 16/10/2017 at 11:15, Johnny Jones said:

Some from dog walks around Clumber Park and Poolsbrook Country Park

 

 

Thought you had caught me fishing until I saw the cig hanging out of the anglers mouth

Steve

Edited October 17, 20177 yr by Winsford Soul

Kestrel. With the small branches skilfully  removed by a much cleverer person than me

Steve

Edited October 23, 20177 yr by Winsford Soul

 

My bets on the Fella in the foreground winning the Match.

Lord Nelson Jubilee Sailing ship coming up Poole Harbour in the mist on Thursday, plus a rather large Herring Gull that had it's eye on my sandwiches.  

Ad a soul do at ours yesterday and we had a ball 👍 20 fantastic people turned up and we thank them all Xx here's a few pics of the djs 😘 baz n shelly xx missed taking picks of the awesome bri pinch tony wiggan and gary steele because I temporarily lost consciousnes 😂just posted a short video below 😂😂😂

VID-20171022-WA0000.mp4

Edited October 22, 20177 yr by baz1
Added video

1 minute ago, baz1 said:

Ad a soul do at ours yesterday and we had a ball 👍 20 fantastic people turned up and we thank them all Xx here's a few pics of the djs 😘 baz n shelly 

Looking good Baz. Looking good 

 

Steve 

This young Peregrine was chasing everything and anything on the reservoir yesterday, at one point it even had a go at a Goose 

7 minutes ago, martyn pitt said:

This young Peregrine was chasing everything and anything on the reservoir yesterday, at one point it even had a go at a Goose 

Glad your safe Martyn 

Steve 

On 10/16/2017 at 11:01, Johnny Jones said:

A few from a few weeks ago. A quiet moment of our dogs (Rain, Bo and Nell), and Rain posing.

Wow! Beautiful dogs mate.

Pete

Just got back from The Maldives, loved it!

Saturday afternoon there was a bloom of pink/red zooplankton and I thought it would spoil the photos but what it did do, was bring this zooplankton feeding thing of beauty onto the reef.

 

Edited October 24, 20177 yr by billb
posted same photo twice

love this, it's flying!

On 10/22/2017 at 18:30, martyn pitt said:

This young Peregrine was chasing everything and anything on the reservoir yesterday, at one point it even had a go at a Goose 

looks like it's a ringed bird, like they do with them on Nottingham Uni. Are most wild Peregrines ringed? - fantastic photo

 

8 hours ago, billb said:

looks like it's a ringed bird, like they do with them on Nottingham Uni. Are most wild Peregrines ringed? - fantastic photo

 

It appears to be a bird ringed by the local ringing group, the colour is the identifier, unfortunately the bird did not land to get a clear ID on the number, and in flight they tuck the undercarriage up so the markings are obscured by feathers.

Generally the birds are ringed as chicks at the nest, we believe that this bird is 2H a locally ringed bird

Just to add love those underwater shots 

Edited October 25, 20177 yr by martyn pitt

On 23/10/2017 at 10:31, Peter99 said:

Wow! Beautiful dogs mate.

Pete

Thanks Pete, They're a handful at times but well worth it. In fact Nell is driving me mad with a squeaky toy as i type this lol 

On 10/25/2017 at 16:59, Johnny Jones said:

Thanks Pete, They're a handful at times but well worth it. In fact Nell is driving me mad with a squeaky toy as i type this lol 

Are the two little ones pups mate?

 

Pete

10 hours ago, Peter99 said:

Are the two little ones pups mate?

 

Pete

Bo the Chihuahua is 2, Rain the Whippet is 4 and a half and Nell is about 4 months now and has quadrupled in size since that photo (i'll have to try and get some more photos taken).

Carrion Crow

Anyone for Tennis

Steve

2 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Carrion Crow

Anyone for Tennis

Steve

No need for hawkeye line judge steve think it will be out when it lands 40 love 👍

32 minutes ago, baz1 said:

No need for hawkeye line judge steve think it will be out when it lands 40 love 👍

Ha ha. Pity it wasn't golf. It could have been a birdy 

Steve 

My Young Smooth fox terrier "Bob" coming along nicely now at a just over a year old.

Grandson Thomas. Aka Frankenstein 

Autumn colours

Steve

Waterfall. Slow shutter speed, hand held

Steve

Beach on Cassis, Southern France, shot from the hip...

Skein of 200 + Pink Footed Geese. Taken with my mobile phone while at work

Winters coming

Steve

My first attempt at growing a bonsai chrysanthemum in Spain, flowering at 4" high.

1 hour ago, TattooDave said:

My first attempt at growing a bonsai chrysanthemum in Spain, flowering at 4" high.

Fantastic dave 

Just now, baz1 said:

Fantastic dave 

It'll be better next year Baz, only two years old from a cutting.

Just now, TattooDave said:

It'll be better next year Baz, only two years old from a cutting.

Would be nice to see a pic with something at the side of it dave to show off its bonsai glory 

52 minutes ago, baz1 said:

Would be nice to see a pic with something at the side of it dave to show off its bonsai glory 

I thought about that too, but the balcony has so many plants on it that getting a decent backdrop is very difficult.  However, I thought this might confuse you even more.

The bear stands about 1.5" tall, though is sitting here.  I made him a few years ago.

On 11/3/2017 at 07:55, Mal C said:

Beach on Cassis, Southern France, shot from the hip...

I love Cassis, one of my favourite places to escape the madness of Marseille.  The local wine is excellent too. Thanks for posting Mal 

Full arc of a rainbow caught from the balcony.

 

Lapwing. Landing

Steve

Edited November 6, 20177 yr by Winsford Soul

Goldfinch. Taking off

Steve

Edited November 6, 20177 yr by Winsford Soul

Met this little chap in the Campo :-)

The winning images in the 2017 British Wildlife Photography Awards can be viewed via the link below to Sky News.

While some of them are excellent, I can't help but think that as far as some of the others are concerned, we've had better on here.

http://news.sky.com/story/british-wildlife-photography-awards-2017-11118317

What's your opinion, guys and gals?

 

29 minutes ago, Russell Gilbert said:

The winning images in the 2017 British Wildlife Photography Awards can be viewed via the link below to Sky News.

While some of them are excellent, I can't help but think that as far as some of the others are concerned, we've had better on here.

http://news.sky.com/story/british-wildlife-photography-awards-2017-11118317

What's your opinion, guys and gals?

 

Thanks for posting Russell. As you say some very good photographs but in my humble opinion like yours, there's better pictures posted  on here . I was under the same impression regarding the BBC Country file calendar .

Steve

Coot.

Reflections

Steve