A New Year means a new Soul Source photography thread! Starting in 2013, "Show us your great photos" has proved to be a long-lived favourite - all because of the continued contributions and involvement of its enthusiastic participants. Here's looking forward to yet another year of fab photos - and don't forget that you don't need to be a photographer to post up pics. Whether taken with top-of-the-line gear or the camera on your smart phone, if you've got interesting pics, please feel free to share.

To kick off, here's a batch of pics I took today while out on a cold and misty walk in a place called the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen. I'd not heard of it until just very recently. Apparently it's a natural water table from which Amsterdam gets most of its fresh water. At the same time, it's a nature reserve, so now that I know of its existence, I'll have to make a point of visiting regularly.

It wasn't a good day to be out with a camera, especially with a zoom lens. The light was poor, it was misty (heavy fog overhead - we could hear geese flying over but could barely see them, even though they were quite low), and it was cold. Hopefully conditions will be better on my next visit.

Here's wishing you all a happy New Year and lots of happy shooting across the next 12 months.

Today,s back garden birds

Dunnock. Male Bullfinch. Coal Tit. Male Goldfinch and about 200 metres across / behind  from the garden i spied this Buzzard sat on a telegraph pole

 

Today,s back garden birds

Greenfinch. Male House Sparrow. Female Bullfinch. Jay in the treetops across from the garden

 

From my mate Neil Thompson. 

Fisherman's Blues .

Boilie Virus  just discovered in garden shed 

 

 

4 minutes ago, Soulfulmerlin said:

From my mate Neil Thompson. 

Fisherman's Blues .

Boilie Virus  just discovered in garden shed 

 

 

I know how he feels..I've got another 11 weeks yet. 

A few pics from India, returned last week just in the nick of time,

1 Chinese Fishing Nets

2 Tea Pickers

3 Indian health and safety, The bloke welcomed me into his workshop, started the lathe up and demonstrated it, imagine that over here.

4 self explanatory

5 Got a problem with my leccy , how do they sort that lot out.

 

 

Edited March 26, 20205 yr by Twoshoes

Couple more from India

The Hedgehog is back !!! 😀 

The hog  came to our garden last year a few times and then stopped coming  in November when they hibernate. Ive kept putting food and water out right through the winter as they come out of hibernation a few times to get food and water but he never came again till last night . So glad he survived 😀

 

 

Edited March 27, 20205 yr by Veedub

1 hour ago, Veedub said:

The Hedgehog is back !!! 😀 

The hog  came to our garden last year a few times and then stopped coming  in November when they hibernate. Ive kept putting food and water out right through the winter as they come out of hibernation a few times to get food and water but he never came again till last night . So glad he survived 😀

 

 

Brilliant picture and news mate.  Never see then near me anymore 

Today,s addition to the Gallery. Female Bullfinch

 

 

Edited March 27, 20205 yr by Winsford Soul

Bloody good photography there Ste ! 

13 minutes ago, Veedub said:

Bloody good photography there Ste ! 

Thanks Mike.  Much appreciated mate.  The pictures are much clearer and sharper without going through the double glazing.  

From today. Back taking the pictures through the window, to cold to be sat out in the garden

Jay ( portrait ). it was sat on the bird feeder tray and it didnt look as good so i cropped it down. Blackbird . Bluetit

 

Not been on for ages.We sadly lost our new rescue greyhound Skye in November when she ran full pace into our patio door causing massive brain trauma and broken neck.

All we could do is get another and just in time for Xmas we took on Winnie(above).Without doubt the easiest greyhound we have rescued.

 

Here she is checking out sunrise recently

Have decided to post this .

Not my original  . However I have put my own imprints on it .

 

This is our  local lane, we live off the end of this Lane and at the moment we have an hours walk in the morning from home to the end of the Lane and back as our "allowed daily excersise"  Theres a pool at the end and a hidden Little Grebe was "whinnying" really loud from the reeds. Skylarks were singing , heard a Yellowhammer again , a Song Thrush was serenading us the most beautiful song, sparrows darting around in gangs. 😀. It all seems quite normal till you get back to reality . Apart from one dog walker , not a soul around  surprisingly .

Perhaps nature will thrive this year ? theyre not getting disturbed, and pollution is down .

Heres two pics from this morning.

 

this mornings visitor

Fantastic night sky shots here - all taken in lockdown conditions and from people's homes and gardens. Well worth a look, and quite inspiring to think what can be achieved with a camera, tripod and a clear sky!

Story & images here: https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-52120114

Back garden birds. Female Chaffinch.

I have a very small patch of garden with nettles and anything else that wants to grow so i just leave it and see what happens. Hopefully a Hedgehog will put in a appearance this year

 

We might be on lockdown, but life goes on.

Sowed some carrot seeds 10 days ago, and they've burst into life. We've only a small balcony, but will pot these outside when they've grown. Lettuce, tomatoes, spring onions, french beans, sunflowers, wild flowers and cucumbers next!

A few from today in the garden

Wood Pigeon. Blue Tit going in nest box. Wren. Moon

 

Something rather special dropped into my garden today. I think this little Bird had just literally arrived from Africa. I have never ever seen one in the garden before and when i have seen them they have always been in tree,s and bushes never on the ground. At first i thought it was a Garden Warbler but on the second photograph i noticed a very pale eye stripe which leads me to a Willow Warbler. possibly Chiffchaff Thoughts anyone 

.

Great garden spot Ste !!  we're thinking Chiffchaff. Darkish  legs and bill, Willow Warblers are paler. Short primary feathers, Willow warblers have  longer primary feathers. . But as you know, always hard to say . could be male, female, young, adult in which case the markings all vary ?? 

16 minutes ago, Veedub said:

Great garden spot Ste !!  we're thinking Chiffchaff. Darkish  legs and bill, Willow Warblers are paler. Short primary feathers, Willow warblers have  longer primary feathers. . But as you know, always hard to say . could be male, female, young, adult in which case the markings all vary ?? 

Thanks Mike.  Just got a txt off a twitching friend  that i sent the pictures to for id and he  reckons that it's a Willow Warbler , 1st he has heard of this year in the north west.  But as you say so hard to identify,  there's been chiffchaffs around here for a good few days now calling away,  that's what swayed me to a Willow Warbler . But thank  you for the compliment 

Could be right Ste, very difficult to distinguish if theyre not calling . Theres a few Chiffchaffs around now, so if its a Willow Warbler, thats a great early spot mate ! 🙂👍 I love the Willow Warblers descending call .

2 minutes ago, Veedub said:

Could be right Ste, very difficult to distinguish if theyre not calling . Theres a few Chiffchaffs around now, so if its a Willow Warbler, thats a great early spot mate ! 🙂👍 I love the Willow Warblers descending call .

Me too mate, as you say the call is very nice. sometimes its the only way to tell them apart

OK not photos but my daughter has just sent me this link to some great live webcams if it's allowed here. Loads of nature stuff

https://explore.org/livecams/currently-live/decorah-eagles

Just now, Soulandy said:

OK not photos but my daughter has just sent me this link to some great live webcams if it's allowed here. Loads of nature stuff

https://explore.org/livecams/currently-live/decorah-eagles

Thanks Andy. 

Just now, Winsford Soul said:

Thanks Andy. 

"Bury" is good as well 🙂

 

7 minutes ago, Soulandy said:

"Bury" is good as well 🙂

 

Certainly is the place to be mate

Just had a mega bird drifting over the house.  Red Kite getting mobbed by two crows,  run for the camera but it had gone behind the neighbours houses and out of sight. Gutted no picture but so pleased to see it, even Lou was jumping up and down saying it's a kite.  She only ever sees them in Wales 

Brilliant spot Ste !! 

2 minutes ago, Veedub said:

Brilliant spot Ste !! 

First time that I have ever seen one in Greater Manchester,  saw them over nr  Leeds at Fairburn ings and nr Chester but this area is seemingly void of them. So chuffed.   

amazing you saw one there !  my last job, i was a delivery driver , and used to do a drop in Huntingdon, cambridgeshire. From rushden . Saw several every time, in a 30 mile patch, beautiful bird !! , then you drive out the area and never ever see one !  

Edited April 5, 20205 yr by Veedub

21 minutes ago, Veedub said:

amazing you saw one there !  my last job, i was a delivery driver , and used to do a drop in Huntingdon, cambridgeshire. From rushden . Saw several every time, in a 30 mile patch, beautiful bird !! , then you drive out the area and never ever see one !  

Mike. It's funny how they have populated areas and not others,  think greater Manchester never had a release site like most areas of the country did hence the scarcity.  Where my dad is buried in the Shropshire village of Bishops Castle you can sit in his partner Val,s garden and watch them daily ,the same as mid Wales,  they're everywhere,  seen them on the beach near Aberystwyth 

Edited April 5, 20205 yr by Winsford Soul

Thats great Ste  🙂, spot on. 

I used to love delivering to Red Kite area in my last job, I was getting paid for birdwatching  !  saw 12 one day in Rushden  and had a great day out with pay 😁

I saw around 10 recently at the services on the M6 toll road services around Birmingham.  They weren't buying anything, they were just....flying around, like you do when you're a bird.  😁

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Just had a mega bird drifting over the house.  Red Kite getting mobbed by two crows,  run for the camera but it had gone behind the neighbours houses and out of sight. Gutted no picture but so pleased to see it, even Lou was jumping up and down saying it's a kite.  She only ever sees them in Wales 

Great spot. like most folk, it's Wales i see them most but I spotted them in Yorkshire and most recently near Chester. Maybe with less traffic, air and road, they and others will be on the march👍  I did see 5 buzzards circling altogether over the fields in this part of South Manchester yesterday

31 minutes ago, Flamingemeralds said:

I saw around 10 recently at the services on the M6 toll road services around Birmingham.  They weren't buying anything, they were just....flying around, like you do when you're a bird.  😁

Hello Mrs.  I hope you wasn,t multi tasking, Counting and driving. Sorry could not resist,🤣 that,s me due a beating 🤔

5 minutes ago, Soulandy said:

Great spot. like most folk, it's Wales i see them most but I spotted them in Yorkshire and most recently near Chester. Maybe with less traffic, air and road, they and others will be on the march👍  I did see 5 buzzards circling altogether over the fields in this part of South Manchester yesterday

Thanks Andy. As you say this cleaner air maybe moving them around. Here,s hoping

Near Chester  . Helsby / Frodsham area by any chance ?

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Thanks Andy. As you say this cleaner air maybe moving them around. Here,s hoping

Near Chester  . Helsby / Frodsham area by any chance ?

 We were on the train, 3 weeks last Friday just before they started locking down, when I spotted it out of the window past delamere. To say I was surprised, I had a few strange looks 😁👍

11 minutes ago, Soulandy said:

 We were on the train, 3 weeks last Friday just before they started locking down, when I spotted it out of the window past delamere. To say I was surprised, I had a few strange looks 😁👍

Ha Ha.  Yeah   delemere is just at the back of frodsham,  so that's good to hear that they're still in the area.  

A frequent visitor to our garden, plenty of ants.                                      

1 hour ago, Paddy Ferry said:

A frequent visitor to our garden, plenty of ants.                                      

Not seen a  green woodpecker for about 3 years.  Heard one yaffling last year but didn't see it. 

Steve 

11 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Hello Mrs.  I hope you wasn,t multi tasking, Counting and driving. Sorry could not resist,🤣 that,s me due a beating 🤔

Actually,. It wasn't those services....it was the ones near Heathrow airport on the M25.  D'oh.  Those darn services all look the same.  I was waiting in the car park for a flight to land.  Cheaper than  waiting on site in the airport car park...and then these ginormous birds started gliding around above my head.  Red Kites! 

3 hours ago, Flamingemeralds said:

Actually,. It wasn't those services....it was the ones near Heathrow airport on the M25.  D'oh.  Those darn services all look the same.  I was waiting in the car park for a flight to land.  Cheaper than  waiting on site in the airport car park...and then these ginormous birds started gliding around above my head.  Red Kites! 

How do women manage to get anywhere ? 😎. M6. M25 bit of a difference 🤔100 miles ish 😋 . X

 Female Greater Spotted Woodpecker. My little back garden just keeps on giving,

Steve

 

 

Brilliant pic Ste !!

I'm lucky enough to live right next to a quiet country lane that leads into a track. Most mornings, we go for a 45 minute walk as our excercise and I snap what i see without hanging around as that doesn't seem right given the current situation . 

 Yesterday there was a Dunnock and a Chiffchaff  and skylarks singing ,and theres some lovely old trees at the end of the lane too. 

Locally, today in Staffordshire.people are reporting sightings of Swallows, Housemartins, and Willow Warblers ! 

 

5 minutes ago, Veedub said:

Brilliant pic Ste !!

Thanks Mike.  Can't believe what I'm getting in the garden,  Getting a pair of Goldcrest but no pictures yet. Considering that I only live a few miles away from Manchester city centre,  and on a busy little road, even now and it's a end of terrace house.