Saturday 25 January 2014

Turn! Turn! Turn!

So, we are in the depths of winter... maybe some of us have been enjoying the BBC Winterwatch programme over last few nights and seeing just how nature copes with the dark and cold... You know after living in the UAE and now returning to the UK I am beginning to realise one of the main things I missed about NW Europe - seasons.  You see, out in the Middle East it is either very hot or just right. It never gets (well hardly ever) gets cold, rain fall is low or at worst a flash... Since being back in the UK I have reconnected with the seasons... re-acquainted myself with the turning of the year... We came back in high summer and I loved watching autumn and then winter slowly creep in - usually when you're not looking... So now, we can START looking. Even though we have a week left of January believe it or not spring is on it's way. Sure, we will have some cold stuff sometime... we nearly always do... but wildlife is definitely looking towards spring...

Last week's blog had a picture of mute swans being aggressive... that is just the start... So what can we see at the moment that heralds the beginning of spring...? In addition, what can we look for when we go for a walk in the countryside this weekend...?

Well... to start with certain trees are showing definite signs of life...



 Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) leaf bud...


Ornamental cherry (Prunus spp.) leaf bud... both almost on the verge of bursting... one frost now will damage the fragile leaflets within the bud...


Hazel (Corylus avellana) catkins above (male parts of the shrub) and flowers below (female structures)


This is one of the most obvious features of the hedgerows at this time of year... golden candelabras...



Alder (Alnus glutinosa), slightly different this time... above are this year's male catkins, but below is last years cone... you can see both easily at the moment...


Looking down and in the shade you can find...


Arum lily (Arum maculatum) also known as cuckoo-pint or Lords-and-ladies. Very common in hedgerows and in woodland. Initially the leaves are rolled like in the picture above, but soon open up to show the characteristic arrow shape... some with black blobs... some without...



Ivy (Hedera helix) flowers - vital for insects in the winter months...


Elder (Sambucus nigra) leaves... a plant early to start developing leaves, this sheltered individual was way ahead of the others I saw...

In addition to vernal activity, there are some vestiges of the winter...


Coriolus versicolor - a very common bracket fungi... captured here on a fallen poplar stump.


Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) seeds... known as keys... they stay on the tree for months on end, waiting for as suitable breeze for distribution...

Also, whilst out and about I came across this fellow...


Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) - they always look like grumpy professors to me...a look of resignation on its face...

Have I done anything else this week? Well... the weather hasn't been that kind but on a frosty morning I did capture these...


Trees in a winter landscape... Wicken Fen NNR


New River in winter... Wicken Fen NNR



Public footbridge over Monk's Lode, Wicken Fen NNR.




Burdock (Arctium minus) and ice...


Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) admiring himself...




Highland cattle - portrait in the frost... So a good day was had then, but the rest of the week was pretty quiet... I finally got round to setting up a shoot using my new guitar... Wildlife images taken using Nikon D2Xs DSLR + either Tokina 100mm f2.8 AT-X Pro or Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8 AFD ED all mounted on a Manfrotto tripod with Manfrotto ball-head...



I thought the monochrome look suited the instrument... I set the shoot up on top of our piano in the hall, making use of strong sidelight from the kitchen window and actually took the shot from the stairs which put me on the same level as the guitar rather than slightly below.  I like the shadow... I like the shot... I like the guitar... Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor 20-35mm f2.8 AFD + SB-600 Speedlight (remotely fired) adding a small amount of fill particularly through the sound hole.

You can keep up with me here - FACEBOOK  and interestingly, thanks to that social media site I have made contact with the first ever friend I made at school... someone I have not seen or spoken to for 40+ years... Great to meet again Alistair!

I am still using my FLICKR PAGE so if you use that then you can keep up with me there if you don't Facebook, and as ever I have a WEBSITE that you can visit - planning to upgrade that by the end of the month, so keep an eye on the link for that...

Finally, if you are in the UK, don't forget the BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH this weekend...

I hope you all have a good week and I will hopefully see you soon...

TTFN



No comments:

Post a Comment