THE RED CRESTED SOLDIERS

I title it that because watching the Red Crested Pochards put me in mind of a load of soldiers on parade. In one video below the males are all bobbing their beaks in what must be some kind of mating courtship .. thing?

I was not expecting to see these and annoyingly and due to the pain and my health condition I went out without my very best lens.

I had gone out because it was supposed to be sunny all afternoon. It was sunny for about three minutes in total .. thank you yet again, weather people! I had intended to got artistic and bokeh shots of flowers for my other digital photography blog, as I had the day before. Though admittedly it is somewhat early in the year and there is not a lot about. Some wild violets were seen but not very good condition and there were some Daffodils, Hyacinths and some trees with white blossom. But the weather was shit and dull and I stumbled across these Red Crested Pochards.

I need to open up the aperture a little with this lens in future for birds.. an f1.4. This was also at Finsbury Park in London.

Here are some photos and videos ..

Got some close ups of Common Pochards too ..

Videos ..

BACK TO THE GRAIN

Well I am sort of back .. but not in the way that you might think.

I am going to be getting around doing some stuff over the coming days and weeks and with a little luck might actually be doing that which I planned to begin with many months ago?

I had something of a .. hiccup and did not acquire all the tools I needed due to an emergency situation that is about to unfold, or I hope so, in a big way.

However I am back near some old, but new for here, places that I certainly did not expect and .. momentarily.

I am going to be looking for Firecrests .. in fact I already did and spotted one but not managed to get one on film .. but I did get some Teal and Gadwalls .. oh and a Pochard .. and a Little Grebe. Oh and a pair of Stock Doves.

A FEW HOURS AT AMWELL NATURE RESERVE

I managed  to get out to somewhere I had wanted to the last couple of years...especially when someone told me that if you sit in one of the hides the Reed Buntings are so used to people that you end up quite close to them?!

A photographic opportunity of one of several genus I would very much like to get more on.

It did not work out quite that well but I did get a few things and a few unexpected things too, like  kingfisher, be it a mere flash! Bummer!

Hmm I have just resized the photos and they are all dreadful and lack sharpness.

It seems trying to go out with this camera in future will be a complete waste of time?!

Darn it!!

Now I have to decide what to do?!

I tell you I have had terrible luck with cameras since Is tarted this blog, what with several not working out of the box when new and finding out they are refurbished and not new and one other overheating after just 6 months and now this one losing focus and a strange juddering when filming at powerful zoom lengths?!

Jesus, do I really want to buy a camera now or just leave it a couple of months?

Pochards... 

The Duck Wash ...

Tufted Ducks...

Pochard and Lapwing

Red Admiral Butterfly

Reed Bunting...

Water Mint...

Giant Pondweed...

POCHARD & CORMORANTS

Should have filmed this one, was being affected by fatigue by now and focusing on timing my return the the Reed Buntings and Bearded Reedlings and getting it just right!

Path towards Fishers Green in the Lea Valley Park

Always alot of Cormorants about, surprise there are any fish left?!

There are two lots of trees where they collect like this and a few electricity pylons too.