Show us your great photos 2021

[Amsterdam Russ 4,025]

Happy New Year to one and all. Let's hope 2021 sees some sort of return to normal as the weeks and months roll on

Running annually since 2013, this is the 9th photography thread. Thanks to everyone who has participated and made this such a popular and long-running thread. I'm sure we can look forward to lots of great contributions.

Given the restrictions we've been facing for so long now, getting out and about hasn't always been easy or even possible. But, with a bit of good fortune hopefully we'll get opportunities to revisit new and familiar places with greater ease. Certainly I've hardly been beyond my immediate environment during much of last year, so I'm opening this thread with a couple of favourite photos from some years back.

Both were taken in Elie on the Fife coast in Scotland.

 

Happy snapping, everyone!

[Winsford Soul 14,518]

Happy New Year. Little video clip with a festive offering . Love the slow motion facility on my phone 

 

 

Edited January 2 by Winsford Soul

[Martyn Pitt 2,415]

Happy New Year all 

A Stonechat 

[Martyn Pitt 2,415]

So far this year I have seen Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackcaps, Gold Crest, Greenfinch, and Green Woodpecker in the garden, as well as the usual garden birds.

A Fieldfare standing proud (this one was at Belvide whilst I was out exercising, I walked just over 5 miles carrying 7.5kg of camera and tripod on my shoulder that day ... I need a caddie ).

[Milliontearsoul 290]

[Soulandy 1,707]

Reflections on the Bridgewater Canal and a theme from "The Birds" on today's daily exercise 

Edited January 6 by Soulandy

[Soulandy 1,707]

Another local walk with sunbeams and an Owl, albeit, a wood carving. Oh and we have a polar bear in the garden

 

[Johnny Jones 944]

Took these on the way back from taking the dogs a walk on Saturday Afternoon. The missus tinkered about and made the last one on her phone, thought it looked quite impressive .

[Amsterdam Russ 4,025]

Courtesy of BBC News, a selection of photos sent in by people in Scotland for the week 1st-8th January 2021. There are some real winners, like the stunning one below, so they're well worth checking out.

Source: BBC News / © Katalin Lowley

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-55546350

 

[Amsterdam Russ 4,025]

Another selection of impressive photos from Scotland courtesy of BBC News - this time of the Aurora Borealis, which was visible last night. 

Source: BBC News / © SIMMER DIM/BBC WEATHER WATCHERS

Photos can be found via the link below.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-55630880

 

[Winsford Soul 14,518]

First post from me for this year,s 2021 thread

Female Woodpecker portrait and a Lesser Redpoll

 

 

[Winsford Soul 14,518]

https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/uk_neonics_loc/?cNyaBmb

Please sign this petition to help safeguard the future of Bee,s 

[Tomangoes 2,899]

Clumsy baxter having fun.

Ed

[Winsford Soul 14,518]

Chuffed to bits today after managing to photograph a Siskin in the garden. Only the second time in 18 years of living here that i,ve seen one in the garden

 

Edited Thursday at 18:11 by Winsford Soul

[Soulandy 1,707]

Not great photos but two to show how covid is affecting things as folk are finding what's on their doorstep. First photo is from February 2020 pre covid and how the path usually is. The second is from today and shows a mud fest after 1000's of feet over the past nine months or so. I wonder if the grass will ever return.

Edited Friday at 19:26 by Soulandy

[Winsford Soul 14,518]

12 minutes ago, Soulandy said:

Not great photos but two to show how covid is affecting things as folk are finding what's on their doorstep. First photo is from February 2020 pre covid and how the path usually is. The second is from today and shows a mud fest after 1000's of feet over the past nine months or so. I wonder if the grass will ever return.

Andy.  Looks like a few dick head off road bike tracks there too mate .  Not looking good for the grass though mate. Its the same around Elton reservoir one part of the path is almost knee deep in mud plus the lazy dirty bastard dog owners leaving dog crap or throwing the little black bags into the bushes is a down point. 

[Soulandy 1,707]

Yes, a few use it to get on the Stratford meadows and you always get dirt bags hanging in the trees unfortunately. I'm usually on the other side where it's not as muddy as only half the number of people use that side but it is good that folk are getting out but if this is happening all over then it's not too good for the river banks and trails. Good and bad together I suppose.

Edited Friday at 22:21 by Soulandy

[Twoshoes 1,234]

13 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Looks like a few dick head off road bike tracks there too mate

Maybe a subject for discussion on a new thread but the off road bikes are a real problem on the moor opposite my house, there are signs everywhere saying they are not permitted which always has me wondering where do people draw the line as to where the law doesn't apply to them. Paths are becoming unwalkable in some places. Another factor is unless you know the footpaths it is becoming harder for walkers from out of the area I would imagine to distinguish what is a legitimate path and what is a cycle track  These photos don't really convey the amount of damage actually being done. I have spoken to two local landowners who have both been threatened with violence confronting bikers.

I used to have less of a problem with mountain bikers but on some paths and one in particular that I have walked for the last twenty years which passes through National Trust land because of the nature of the path and restricted area for the path to deviate I can easily see within the next couple of years it being too dangerous to walk. 

  Don't get me wrong I respect peoples right to roam but once water gathers in the tracks left by cyclists or bikers it becomes a slippery slope (no pun intended) to a mud bath and once that happens from what I have witnessed first hand said people move to the left or right and what was once a small footpath becomes a bog to be traversed.

 Footpaths were once just that and no one I guess could have predicted the rise in Mountain biking as a leisure pursuit, I don't see an easy solution to an ever growing problem and can understand to some extent bikers not seeing anything wrong in how they enjoy the countryside but I honestly believe some areas will eventually become impassable even for them. 

  apologies for the rant, 

[Colnago 573]

45 minutes ago, Twoshoes said:

Maybe a subject for discussion on a new thread but the off road bikes are a real problem on the moor opposite my house, there are signs everywhere saying they are not permitted which always has me wondering where do people draw the line as to where the law doesn't apply to them. Paths are becoming unwalkable in some places. Another factor is unless you know the footpaths it is becoming harder for walkers from out of the area I would imagine to distinguish what is a legitimate path and what is a cycle track  These photos don't really convey the amount of damage actually being done. I have spoken to two local landowners who have both been threatened with violence confronting bikers.

I used to have less of a problem with mountain bikers but on some paths and one in particular that I have walked for the last twenty years which passes through National Trust land because of the nature of the path and restricted area for the path to deviate I can easily see within the next couple of years it being too dangerous to walk. 

  Don't get me wrong I respect peoples right to roam but once water gathers in the tracks left by cyclists or bikers it becomes a slippery slope (no pun intended) to a mud bath and once that happens from what I have witnessed first hand said people move to the left or right and what was once a small footpath becomes a bog to be traversed.

 Footpaths were once just that and no one I guess could have predicted the rise in Mountain biking as a leisure pursuit, I don't see an easy solution to an ever growing problem and can understand to some extent bikers not seeing anything wrong in how they enjoy the countryside but I honestly believe some areas will eventually become impassable even for them. 

  apologies for the rant, 

It’s become worse with the advent of E bikes , I was on my local moor and two Billy Bunters on e bikes were coming up the hill gassing away , not even pedalling ffs It was a bit of a problem but got bigger with these sort of ‘cyclist ‘ they’ll even get home and put it on Strava lol ,  so they’ve shut it to cyclist , which I think they’ve done right and I go cyclocross and road biking . 

[Amsterdam Russ 4,025]

Window view a couple of minutes ago. Not quite a winter wonderland, but the first snow fall (not that you can really see it in the pic) is always something of a pleasant novelty. No doubt that novelty will quickly wear off and we'll be cursing the weather tomorrow!

[Winsford Soul 14,518]

Male Marsh Harrier. There,s more and more of these majestic and still very Rare ( 450 UK breeding pairs ) birds of prey deciding to spend the winter here in the UK instead of flying down to sub- Sahara Africa .

Its a massive privilege to see these birds and even more so to actually manage a photograph  

 

 

[Amsterdam Russ 4,025]

"BBC News - Your pictures of Scotland: 8-15 January 2021"

A fine selection of photos showing primarily snowy/wintery scenes such as the one below. Well worth a look.

Source: BBC News / © Andy Dryden

Pics here:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-55587236