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!

Sacrilege....sheer vandalism in my book! Can't imagine the amount of 'nature' that would of thrived on its branches, leaves etc! Yes, very sad!

52 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

No. Wall would have gone first Ed. Sad 😔 

Council decision...

The wall was cracked and it older than the tree..

Ed

27 minutes ago, Tomangoes said:

Council decision...

The wall was cracked and it older than the tree..

Ed

I do understand Ed. Just sad that something that old had to be destroyed because the council says so. I bet the wall could have been repaired but a tree surgeon would have been the cheapest option.  

I think it was always about risk and liability.

There will be another tree or two planted further away from the wall.

Ed

9 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Hows that now Russ. Any better mate ?

Yup, I can see all three now. 

While the sun was out at Martin Mere this week.

A few pics from a mid-week trip out to the Amsterdam woods on my bike.

Great crested grebe in winter plummage

Toadstool - only about an inch and a half in height

Autumn oak leaves

Heron

Redwing

Kestrel hovering

2 hours ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

A few pics from a mid-week trip out to the Amsterdam woods on my bike.

Great crested grebe in winter plummage

Toadstool - only about an inch and a half in height

Autumn oak leaves

Heron

Redwing

Kestrel hovering

Lovely redwing, 🙏 

12 minutes ago, Neil Austin said:

Lovely redwing, 🙏 

Thanks! 

Inspiration for all of us happy snappers...

Quote

An amateur photographer's stunning wildlife shots taken during his lunch breaks have won him thousands of fans.

Dave Newman regularly makes the short trip from his office in the centre of Sleaford, Lincolnshire, to the local river to capture its beast and birds.

© DAVE NEWMAN

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-59132484 /

1 hour ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

Inspiration for all of us happy snappers...

© DAVE NEWMAN

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-59132484 /

Thanks Russ.  Thought it was going be one of those set up jobs like most kingfisher pictures are these days that are entering or leaving the water. Hides for the camera are on water level with stickleback in a glass tank inside the pool, you normally pay about £120 for the session and even get told what camera settings to use. But so glad to see that it's just a normal guy out on his lunch break 

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Thanks Russ.  Thought it was going be one of those set up jobs like most kingfisher pictures are these days that are entering or leaving the water. Hides for the camera are on water level with stickleback in a glass tank inside the pool, you normally pay about £120 for the session and even get told what camera settings to use. But so glad to see that it's just a normal guy out on his lunch break 

A normal guy on his lunch break - with very, very expensive camera equipment. 

Joking aside, he clearly has a huge talent for "capturing the moment" - the thing that makes the difference between good shots and great shots.

Song thrush eating Hawthorn berries with the sun just catching its breast through the trees

 

Don't know how to attach a photo but if you go onto the Gaurdian top 20 photos and look at the La Palma 'ash' photo I  think you will be amazed. 

5 minutes ago, Julianb said:

Don't know how to attach a photo but if you go onto the Gaurdian top 20 photos and look at the La Palma 'ash' photo I  think you will be amazed. 

Thanks Julian.

If you click on the link below where it says Click here to choose files to upload it gives you a few options as to upload things

Ste

44 minutes ago, Julianb said:

Don't know how to attach a photo but if you go onto the Gaurdian top 20 photos and look at the La Palma 'ash' photo I  think you will be amazed. 

These ones?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2021/oct/28/la-palma-ashen-landscapes-in-pictures

 

A good neet art in the smoke..

Highly recommended show and Beverly Knight just gets better and better.

Ed

 

A weekend in Trawsfynydd in Wales. Footbridge over Trawsfynydd reservoir and an old boat house

10 hours ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

These ones?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2021/oct/28/la-palma-ashen-landscapes-in-pictures

 

It's under 20 photographs of the week. It shows a couple of houses on a mountain side almost submerged in ash. 

I've tried to upload this for 30 minutes without success!☹

58 minutes ago, Soulandy said:

A weekend in Trawsfynydd in Wales. Footbridge over Trawsfynydd reservoir and an old boat house

Andy. I used to fish at Trawsfynydd when it was a working  power station and they had a cold inlet side and a warm outlet side divided by a massive wall. We used to sit barefoot in the warm water when it was down to -10 and snowing.  Amazing experience.  Great perch fishing with the odd trout 

35 minutes ago, Julianb said:

It's under 20 photographs of the week. It shows a couple of houses on a mountain side almost submerged in ash. 

I've tried to upload this for 30 minutes without success!☹

Here…

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2021/nov/05/twenty-photographs-of-the-week#img-5

 

 

52 minutes ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

Here…

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2021/nov/05/twenty-photographs-of-the-week#img-5

 

 

Thanks, you are obviously computer literate than me!

One of the photos shows the glacier at El Calaphete in Patagonia. We were there in 2018.

Biggest poppy I've ever seen! KCS.

Ed

 

On 03/11/2021 at 08:54, Mal C said:

wow, you got close Chalky, but you can see they saw you. I guess they are used to it...

I went back the next day and got some better shots.  They know you are about long before you get close  both the Red and Fallow are wild, not farmed fir the estate.  They come down to the lower ground over night them make their way back up as the morning goes on  i guess they are used to people about though.  Lot of walkers in the area  you can get to close though especially this time of the year  i made sure there was a tree ir three between me and the large moody red male, he really wasn’t in a good mood  

Edited November 9, 20213 yr by Chalky

On 05/11/2021 at 17:37, Winsford Soul said:

I do understand Ed. Just sad that something that old had to be destroyed because the council says so. I bet the wall could have been repaired but a tree surgeon would have been the cheapest option.  

Not a great photo but this video sums up the destruction of healthy trees and trees are the great antidote to carbon dioxide 

 

 

Edited November 10, 20213 yr by Shinehead

Couple from todays early start at Leighton Moss, got there at 07.10 after a 1 hour 15 min drive.

Real joy to watch a Female Otter and her 2 almost full grown youngsters for 90 mins through the binoculars. To far away for pictures even with my set up plus the light was awful and misty first thing so didnt even attempt it.

The only pictures a managed where at lunch time in the still murky light of , I,m  guessing a Curlew but could be a Whimbrel  it was a long way out on the salt marsh and they both have downward curved beaks and the same plumage so i,m not really sure and a now quite familiar sight of a over wintering Chiffchaff searching for insects among the berries

 

What a shame 😔 

Baxter returned to find his favourite "pee tree" has gone...and decided to be the Lion King.

Ed

 

 

2 hours ago, Tomangoes said:

Baxter returned to find his favourite "pee tree" has gone...and decided to be the Lion King.

Ed

 

 

Looking for a new place to cock his leg 😄

Never seen a moon and cloud/sky like this before..

Ed

 

Proud Grandparents today.  Thomas school was chosen  to lay the wreath at the local village war memorial on  armistice day. And Thomas was asked to actually lay the wreath 

I have just been sent this picture by my ex  as I was out fishing 

 

Edited November 15, 20213 yr by Winsford Soul

Autumn colours along the river Bollin today

33 minutes ago, Soulandy said:

Autumn colours along the river Bollin today

Nice one mate.  Loving the second one especially 

I was at a gardening centre on the wkd, nr Monmouth, anyhow this place over looks 'Sugar Mountain' which you can clearly see, quite distinctive!  they do a mean pot of mint tea and chocolate brownie 🙂

7 minutes ago, Mal C said:

I was at a gardening centre on the wkd, nr Monmouth, anyhow this place over looks 'Sugar Mountain' which you can clearly see, quite distinctive!  they do a mean pot of mint tea and chocolate brownie 🙂

Mal. I drove the otherside  of Sugar loaf mountain the other week on my way home from Tenby on the A483 . It must have the one of the smallest  railway stations in the UK In a gorgeous setting 

it is nice Steve, we kinda want to move that way, the corridor from Newport up to Worcester, with the Wye  valley areas on your left are all stunning, Monmouth is expensive, they have a Waitrose!  lol but if you come out of town and into that green belt there, it gets far more affordable.

Only down side is Liza has her eye on my record collection to fund some of this 😞  otherwise its my fishing gear,  what's the use of having a great house and garden if you cant have a record room...?? laughing

Edited November 17, 20213 yr by Mal C

6 minutes ago, Mal C said:

it is nice Steve, we kinda want to move that way, the corridor from Newport up to Worcester, with the Wye  valley areas on your left are all stunning, Monmouth is expensive, they have a Waitrose!  lol but if you come out of town and into that green belt there, it gets far more affordable.

Only down side is Liza has her eye on my record collection to fund some of this 😞  otherwise its my fishing gear,  what's the use of having a great house and garden if you cant have a record room...?? laughing

Exactly my friend.  . Tell  Liza records and fishing gear are non negotiable in the house move. But shoes and clothes are, see what she says to that but don't forget the hard hat and cricket box when you tell her. 🤣🤣🤣

Pennington flash.  So called art installation to bring people's attention to the state of the planet.  Don't think a 10 metre diameter globe that's lit up is helping, especially the waterfowl that roost in the area 

 

Edited November 21, 20213 yr by Winsford Soul

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Pennington flash.  So called art installation to bring people's attention to the state of the planet.  Don't think a 10 metre diameter globe that's lit up is helping, especially the waterfowl that roost in the area 

 

Thats common sense you're talking Steve. Unfortunately it's getting less common.

A few pics from a trip this afternoon to the local nature reserve. 

Sparrowhawk or Goshawk? I suspect the former, but its size hints it might be the latter - although female sparrowhawks are of course larger than their male counterparts.

Wigeon in flight

Grasses - nicely backlit courtesy of the low position of the late autumn sun

And teasels - also backlit rather nicely.

Another lovely autumn day - another lovely trip out. Plenty of deer to be seen and a lovely dear of a different sort.  

 

Out over longridge Fell 

Really joyous place . Where my Buster can have hours endless fun . So many places around to Ramble , rarely see a soul . 

First time back on Casey Key in 2 years...please no more lock downs..

Ed

 

Edited November 27, 20213 yr by Tomangoes
Spello

As Autumn turns to winter today 

Bowness Common close to the Solway this afternoon. The pic with the cows is exactly as taken BTW - just a very lucky combination of timing of sunset and cow about 200 yards from home. Dx

Amsterdam 

View from my Manchester back garden about 1 hour ago .  12.05 pm still at -2'C 

 

Edited November 29, 20213 yr by Winsford Soul

2 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

View from my Manchester back garden about 1 hour ago .  12.05 pm still at -2'C 

 

Tee shirt weather that is Steve. I live in North Yorkshire.😂😂

1 hour ago, Mssoulie said:

Tee shirt weather that is Steve. I live in North Yorkshire.😂😂

Hugh. Got some strange looks walking into the Asda across a snowy carpark wearing shorts, North face  t shirt and trainers with as much ventilation as leather .  Yorkshire   you sure know how to treat a girl mate 🤣🤣🤣😜