Frozen Weir...

Frozen Weir o my local river Yarrow...

Bit To Cold...

My local River Yarrow Frozen Solid...

Comorant Over the Sea...

Soon to be a distant memory...

Day Time Owl 2...

Day Time Owl...

A special day...

The winter cold is set in and with the first snows, you start to see a few different thing that you usually wouldn't, after a fantastic day at Martin Mere, we found this Little Owl perched on a nearby guttering...

Snow snow snow...

Well the promised snow eventually arrived and it came in force, this photo saw taken at 2am in the morning just as it started to ease off, amazing how much a bit of white can brighting up the place, this was only taken with a 1 sec shutter speed...

Sunset Over The Mere...

I took this shot a week are so back, before the snow covered everything up...

Graduation...

Well I'm very proud to say that today my sister graduated from her masters degree, did amazing well and got presented with a special award for the marks that she got and worked for...



Don't worry, she isn't as crazy as she looks, she's actually relatively normal...ish...kind of...

Pintails on Ice... sounds like the christmas panto...

Give Me Some Space...

With the water freezing fast and little open water left, a few of the birds such as this Goosander are getting a little touchy...

The Other Swan...

With the thousands of Whoopers that we get up in the north, we occasionally get a few Bewicks stopping by, I haven't seen on of these for nearly 15 year now but eventually managed to catch up with a few...

Winter Wonder...

This Iceland Gull turned up at the beginning of the winter and must have taken a fancy to the surrounding because it decided to stick around...

I Spy...

Every winter Marton Mere is home to a roost on Long Eared Owls, and this is the first time I've been up to see them...

Through the Reeds...

With the frozen lakes, it's not only the Bittens that can be seen easier, I saw this Water Rail at Marton Mere, this is the first time I've had chance to take a picture of one of there birds...

Frost Bitten Bitten...

With the frost set in I headed up to Leighton Moss to see if an of the Bittens were showing on the ice, on bird did venture out for a short while but not close enough to get any decent pics...

Wintering Swan...

Starting to Get a Bit Christmasy...

With the first sprinkling of snow, I thought I'd be nice to take a few possible Christmas card shots...

I just can't Get Enough...

I really do love our wintering swans and just can't get enough of photographing them at my local nature reserve...

This One Won't Be On The Christmas Table...

Swans Over the Mere...

Snowy in the Snow...

I took this picture earlier this year and thought it was quite appropriate, I hope that you like it,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.8, Shutter Speed 1/640. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Bitterly Cold...

While it lasted I thought I'd take a few more pictures and I think I was right to do so, as I write this it's started raining, no more snow, no more frost... for now,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/320. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Jack Frost...

Over the last week, the frost has been amazing and I taken the opportunity to take a few pics,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/320. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Goosi-Goosi-ander...

Watching over the salt marshes I noticed a small flock of Goosander working there way aground the lake so I sat it out until they came close by the hide,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/400. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Blooming Frost...

I took this shot early morning last week when the frost was in its prime, these plants almost looked like they had bloomed again,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/320. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Breaking The Horizon...

I took this shot while walking around Leighton Moss RSPB Nature Reserve, I loved the affect of the only tree breaking the horizon,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.14, Shutter Speed 1/800. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

The Beauty Of Snow...

While walking along the beach from Lytham to St Annes, we stumbled across this little Snow Bunting, and I mean stumbled as in literally nearly stepped on it, it's only the second time that I've seen a Snow Bunting and the first I've ever found, so it made my day,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/250. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

I Couldn't Resist A Few More...

Coming back on Tuesday, I couldn't resist have an hour down at the Docks taking a few more shots of this stunning gull,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.4, Shutter Speed 1/640. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Watching The Roads...

Cycling down the road, on my way back after a day out I managed to get close to this Kestrel without it flying off unlike the other 4 I saw,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/320. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

The Odd One Out...

The odd one out, sunday we decided to have a walk up to Marton Mere to see the Long Eared Owls, 6 were present today but we only saw 4, as we walked round we noticed 8 Whooper Swans were swimming around with an unusual friend, I don't know why it was following them round but they seen so have excepted the odd one out,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.8, Shutter Speed 1/800. ISO: 800,Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Cleaning Out The Background...

Today I had a ride over to Lytham, to have a walk along the beach and have a play on the 2p machines, on our way around I decided to take a few pics, this shot took my fancy because of the clean background,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/1000. ISO: 400,Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

I took this picture while walking through my local park, I there was about 2 or 3 moving through a small set of trees so I just sat down and took a few snaps as they moved closer to me,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.8, Shutter Speed 1/800. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Star-ling Sky...

Sunday and it's time for a trip out, so we decided to head over to Marton Mere to see the Long Eared Owls and the Starling roost, an amazing sight, 60-70,000+ birds in the sky at once,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.8, Shutter Speed 1/800. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

The Playground Bully...

I headed down to the docks early this morning to see if the gull was still around an take a few pics and sure enough there it was, on the way back I stopped off to see the waxwing but got distracted by this Mistle Thrush bulling all the waxwings round and round ensuring that they did eat "his" berries...



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.8, Shutter Speed 1/800. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

A Bit Of A Speciality...

I heard that an Iceland Gull had been reported down the ribble so I went in search but with no luck so I decided to go and photograph some Waxwings to cheer my self up but as I was sat there watching them I got a fantastic text off a friend saying that it had been found on the Docks so I shot down and there it was, a fantastic bird,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/400. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Star Bird...

This Weekends star bird, went out this weekend and got 2 life ticks in the shape of a Grey Phalarope, an amazing bird and this stonking Great Northern Diver, sheltering from the winds on Fleetwood Marina,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/800. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Another Ribble Moment...

The river Ribble is amazing to watch, because it is so tidal with 5 min. it can go from virtually rapids to as still as a mill pond and not matter how many times you see it, you can't help but be amazed,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 50mm, Aperture: F.16, Shutter Speed 1/100. ISO: 200,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Hollingsworth Lake...

Well I had a trip out to Hollingworth lake to see the Pied-billed Grebe that turned up there the week before but as my camera equipment was significantly to small to get any decent pics, I decided to take a few consolation shot on the way back to the car,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 18mm, Aperture: F.16, Shutter Speed 1/250. ISO: 200,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Fly By Shooting...

I took this picture while walking down the Ribble, I stopped to watch a heron attempting to fish from the top of a tall pylon and decided to take a few shots of the gulls while watching, the Heron caught no fish but I managed to catch a few gulls,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/1600. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Another Autumn Morning...

Getting up early and walking just out of town to were the Ribble runs into open fields and was greeted by an amazing sight, a thick blanket of fog just hanging over the river and fields, a beautiful sight to see,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.15, Shutter Speed 1/400. ISO: 320,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

I'm In Love...

Well I ain't going to tell my other half but I think I'm falling in Love all over again, I've always loved seen these birds but this year I can't get enough of them, very spare moment I get I'm out searching for them, officially my favourite bird, I love them, there call, there characteristics and there looks, just amazing...

this is one of a flock of 40 that I found today



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/500. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

The Beauty Of Autumn...

Last Thursday night I heard reports of 20+ Waxwings in the car park next to our apartment, so 5:30 I was up and out for 6 so I see it come light and miss nothing but there was nothing to miss, a surprisingly large roost of Pied Wagtails but not a sniff of a Waxwing although when I reached the River Ribble, I was greeted with a sight that can make Waxwing Blues disappear, a dense autumn mist slowly rising as if it's been draw back to were it belongs,




Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.14, Shutter Speed 1/320. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Today's Waxwings

Well with all good intentions I went to bed last night and set my alarm for 7am so I could get up early and go Waxwing hunting but 7 o'clock came I turned off my phone and it soon went I woke again at 9 and headed out and with an hour I was snapping up a flock of 30+ Waxwing feeding within 3 metres of me in the surrounding Rowan trees, I LOVE THESE BIRDS,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/640. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Evening Gull..

While walking around Birkacre, I stopped for a short while to take a few shots of the gull, mainly because I liked the effect of the ripples on the surface of the lodge,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/250. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Waiting For Tea...

Went home this weekend and had a walk round one of my local patches, which proved quite a treat, watching a Heron trying to get its dinner, unfortunately we didn't see it catch anything but earlier on it had been observed catching trout out of the fish ladder,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 1/20. ISO: 400,
at the Heron was sitting pretty still, I decided to lower my shutter speed to impart a bit of movement into the water

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

Eventually...

well after no success all last winter and fruitless chasing over the past 2-3 weeks and a 5 hour bike ride yesterday that was birdless, a single Waxwing decided to give my Dad and Me a break and turned up at the end of our road, fed for 20-30min. and then disappeared, over the moon Woo Hoo...



Lens: sigma 70-300 + 2x converter @ 600mm, Aperture: F.6,3, Shutter Speed 1/500. ISO: 800,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

I Couldn't Resist the Booms and Bangs...

Sat there Friday night listening to all the fireworks going off getting slightly more depressed with every explosion (because I didn't have any) and decided I had to go see some more so tonight I decided to go to a local bonfire and take a few snap :),



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 18mm, Aperture: F.5.6, Shutter Speed 2sec. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.

BONFIRE NIGHT...

Well I love bonfire night and fireworks are possible my favourite "toy" (used very loosely) ever but because I moved out this year we celebrated firework night a week and I have been so jealous tonight it's been driving me crazy but here a pic that I took last week when we had fireworks,



Lens: sigma 18-200 @ 200mm, Aperture: F.6.3, Shutter Speed 2secs. ISO: 400,

Thanks Lee Harrison, Happy Days and Happy Snapping.