That's Better

At last it seems as though we are turning the corner weather-wise and there is plenty of interest around and about to be photographed. Personally I'm feeling a bit ring-rusty and going to need a few trips out to get back on my game. It's a bit like the times when I can't ride my bike or run, I'm dying to get back into it, but technique and fitness comes back slowly. That's especially so now, I guess age has to come into it sometime.
A couple of days off work last week helped and that they coincided with bright conditions was a bonus. We ventured up to Blandford for the Otters on Tuesday, where the mother and two cubs (kitts, pups - take your pick) had been spotted early morning. It seems the attention of a number of long lenses on the riverbank, not to mention some serious video kit, caused the mum to move the cubs to safety and we never actually saw them. She went off fishing and led us a merry dance up and down the path, eventually going back to the hiding place with a very large eel.
Moving on we nipped down to Upton Country Park to try for the Jays and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Both were spotted, but unlike last year, I was unable to get an unhindered view of a Jay. We both struck lucky with the Woodpeckers and between us got both male and female.
Thursday afternoon was another opportunity. We had a reasonable period of sunshine down at Lodmoor and got a few good shots, one of which I added to my Flickr account here. There was a solitary and distant Spoonbill, but most disappointing of all was the Marsh Harrier, which showed beautifully along the line of both the West path and Beechdown Way. The problem was, we were watching this from Southdown Avenue.
You're probably wondering why I should post an image of a White-tailed Eagle, rather than the birds I have mentioned locally. The main reason for that is I've yet to process much of last week's efforts, but equally I'm looking forward to the opportunity of getting more eagles in Scotland later this year when hopefully I shall be back near the top of my game again.

London Buses

I know, there's been nothing for two months or more and now here's a second post in around 24 hours. A bit like London buses as they say, hence the title. It's not as if I have anything sensible to blog about either.
Today has been a game of two halves, Parkrun this morning and image sorting this afternoon. Not that I am able to take part in Parkrun at the moment, but it's a good opportunity to do some volunteering. With my background, the lead bike job is right up my street. A couple of times today I needed an extra kick to keep ahead of the lead runner and the ability to ride forwards while facing backwards is always a help.
But what has this to do with wildlife you're probably thinking. In truth nothing, more to show that I do have other interests. But on the way around, I noticed there was a lot of Goldfinch activity at Lodmoor and two Buzzards showing nicely in Came Park when I extended my ride home.
Now you're wondering about the significance of the Mandarin image, but that is more logically explained. This afternoon's sorting revealed this previously unpublished image from a trip to the Slimbridge Wetlands Centre in January last year. Hopefully I'm back on song now and will blog on a more regular basis. Don't think it will be daily though.

Too Long Again

It's been over two months since I last made a blog post and I've thought if I am going to put a link on my Flickr posts, there should be something for people to read. My last two posts were bemoaning the lack of decent weather and for us working people with only weekends to get out, it doesn't look like this weekend will be any better.
Looking around for some other avenue to channel my photographic need, I've spent a good few hours reading a variety of blogs and articles on both wildlife and landscape subjects. On the occasions when we have had good light, I've taken the opportunity to experiment with camera and lens combinations. As I rely on converters to give me the reach I need for wildlife, it has been a worthwhile exercise to find what does and doesn't work. It has given me excellent information to work with when the weather improves and I have to say lifted me out of the gloom I was feeling.
With the lack of images from recent months, I've had to resort to this image of the most photographed bird in Africa, the Lilac-breasted Roller for this post. It was taken two years ago in the Thornybush Reserve in South Africa.