2008 Photo A Day » animals/birds

Day #327

admin — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 06:30:24 +0000

Title: Down By The Pond
Location: Writtle
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: I spent a lovely day exploring various parts of the 22-mile footpath, the Centenary Circle, which rings Chelmsford. It was pretty cold and windy, but the sun was out most of the time and I got some great pictures. In fact, I had trouble choosing which image to use as The One for the day. The duck pond at Writtle won.

Day #272

admin — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:16:43 +0000

Title: Sunday Morning On The Thames
Location: Richmond
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: After an evening containing beer, plenty of Werewolf and lots of silliness, the happy Campers finally flaked out around 3am last night. I managed to grab some sleep but woke before 8am. After a spot of breakfast, I went to look at the Thames and was rewarded with a wonderfully atmospheric view of the bridge at Richmond. There was lots of mist floating on the water, the birds were wheeling and then a team of rowers hove into view under the arches. Magic atmosphere. I knew I was unlikely to better it later in the day, so although it’s an early one, it’s going to be Picture Of The Day.

Day #191

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:39:48 +0000

Title: Is It Dinnertime Yet?
Location: At a friend’s house, Stock
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: This is Simba, a British Blue who belongs to my friend. I visited for lunch today, and as we were making sandwiches, Simba was cruising round the kitchen with this imploring look on his face. Anyone would think he’d never seen a good meal. Nothing could be further from the truth! Trouble is, he’s beautiful, and he knows it…

Day #181

admin — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:38:44 +0000

Title: Bottoms Up!
Location: Hanningfield Reservoir
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 100-400mm EF f/4-5.6 L IS USM
Notes: After all the time I’ve had to spend in front of the PC this weekend, restoring numerous websites after the server crash, I thought I’d get out for a bit of fresh air this afternoon. So I went to Hanningfield Reservoir, armed with my longest lens, to see what I could find. Generally the birds were quite a long way off, but this Coot swam nearby and I caught it just as it dived under the surface. Perfect for this week’s 366 Theme, “A Phrase or Saying”. So this is “Bottoms Up”. Cheers…

Day #172

admin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:51:36 +0000

Title: Early Bird
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 75-300mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: I hate early mornings, but had to get up just before five today to answer a call of nature. Whilst looking blearily out of the bathroom window, I noticed a soft, orange glow in the sky to the east. “Could this be what they call dawn?”, I thought to myself. So in a state of half-consciousness, I managed to find the camera, fit my long zoom and take this image out of the back bedroom window. It’s not quite as dramatic as the other dawn I photographed (there have been only two!), but the silhouette of the wood pidgeon sitting on the neighbours’ TV aerial is still quite nice.

Day #163

admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:20:00 +0000

Title: The Pollinator
Location: Wivenhoe
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: I stayed at my parents’ overnight, and had a quick wander around their garden this morning before heading home. I found this big, fat bee buzzing around their Arum lily under the kitchen window. It very quickly got covered in pollen – just a bee doing it’s job!

Day #162

admin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:57:00 +0000

Title: An Evening Swim
Location: Ardleigh Reservoir
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: After an evening meeting in Colchester, I managed to find a tranquil spot to watch some ducks have a swim on Ardleigh Reservior on the way home.

Day #144

admin — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:38:00 +0000

Title: Project 366 Breeds Success!
Location: Ingatestone
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: My Camera Club‘s season finished this evening with the annual Print Of the Year competition. During the regular season, we have six competitions and any print which has been placed 1st-4th in any of these previous competitions is eligible to enter Print Of The Year. All the prints are put out on display and the club members are asked to judge the pictures via a ballot – the one with the most points wins Mono Print, Colour Print or Slide Of The Year. Since I joined in 1992, I’ve won the Jack Oswell Memorial Trophy for Mono Print of the Year three times – 1994, 2006 and tonight! The print was a black and white version of Day #71, called “Boredom”, and was previously placed 3rd in a set subject competition “Emotions”. So if I hadn’t been taking a photo a day for 366, I wouldn’t have been in Thaxted to see the cat and get this picture!

Day #142

admin — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:03:00 +0000

Title: Arachnophobia!
Location: Stock, Essex
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: After a meeting in Stock first thing this morning, I decided to stop off at the Church in the village to take a few shots inside. However, I found they were just gearing up for 10am Mass, so I had a look around the churchyard instead – there is a memorial garden with some pretty flowers which are just coming into bloom. There I spied a spider, crawling on a rather attractive-looking flower head. This was as close as I was prepared to get! I know it was only a tiddler, but me no like spiders…

Day #139

admin — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:35:00 +0000

Title: Grazing On A Sunday Afternoon
Location: Walnut Tree Farm, Great Waltham
Camera: Canon EOS 300D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: Have been kicking myself that I didn’t go out this morning when there was more sun to be had, but I was busy with jobs before lunch. I managed to have a pleasant potter around the village of Pleshey this afternoon, enjoying a cream tea in the churchyard, which they serve every two weeks (proceeds towards the church restoration fund). On the way home, I also stopped for a look around Great Waltham which has a nice church and Elizabethan Manor house. But the sun wasn’t really playing ball, so I drove home across the back lanes via Chignall. I noticed these two horses grazing in a field at Walnut Tree Farm, and was taking pictures when the pheasant rather obligingly wandered across the field.

Day #74

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:31:00 +0000

Title: A Fallen Star
Location: Birling Gap, East Sussex
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: I headed down to the south coast this morning for my weekend in Brighton, leaving Essex in bright sun. By the time I got to Dartford, the clouds had started rolling in and when I hit Uckfield, the rain began. It eased for a while and I visited the remains of Michelham Priory for a few pictures. Then on to Birling Gap – where it was very misty. The view of the Seven Sisters wasn’t up to much, so I concentrated on things I found on the pebbly beach. This starfish was one of quite a few on the foreshore. An unusual number of dead starfish have been washing up recently, and no-one knows precisely why. I liked its bright orange colour against the very monochrome rocks on the beach.

Day #71

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:54:00 +0000

Title: Open Wide
Location: Thaxted, essex
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: I had a meeting in Saffron Waldon this morning, and stopped off in Thaxted on the way home for a few pictures. Initially the light was dull and overcast, but once I’d been in the church and wandered around for a bit, the sun came out. I also got some great shots of the Tudor Guildhall and Thaxted Windmill. But this was my shot of the day for catching the cat’s spontaneous yawn as I passed. It was sitting in a window along with a notice in French, proclaiming something along the lines of "Extremely malicious cat and little nourished"!

Day #40

admin — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 18:56:00 +0000

Title: Making A Splash
Location: College Wood, Fryerning
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF-S f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: Another happy accident for today’s picture. I had stopped for a cuppa from my flask during my 4 mile walk, and just started off again when I came across two chaps with horses and gigs, picking their way gingerly through the mud and puddles. When they saw my camera, they said they would be back again in a minute, going hell-for-leather, and did I want to take some good pictures?

Day #13

admin — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:25:00 +0000

Title: A Thousand Eyes
Location: Hall Farm, near Dedham
Camera: Canon Ixus 850IS compact
Notes: I only had my compact with me today, so when I spotted several peacocks strutting about in the farmyard after a nice lunch in their restaurant, I had a job to shooting anything decent. The birds were rather nervy and didn’t hold still for long! This is a crop of a wider shot, but I like the more abstract feel of just the feather patterns.