Thursday 29 March 2012

Rods, Poles and Perches

Well, actually, it's a Pike not a Perch, and to my knowledge there were no Poles at Ravensthorpe Reservoir on the opening day of this year's fly fishing season.  Although the aim was to catch trout, this rather fine specimen decided to go for my fly (so to speak).  Photo courtesy of John Caldwell at the other end of the  boat!


What a handsome brute (the fish, not the angler).

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Hoar Frost

While I'm in "catching up" mood, here are a few pictures taken on the coldest day of the year so far (11th February 2012) when our outdoor thermometer went below -12C.  There was a fabulous hoar frost that morning, so I took my camera with me when I went for a walk with Amber.




We bumped into two of Amber's mates, Dylan and Bailey, who were also thoroughly enjoying the conditions.



Tuesday 27 March 2012

IR Snow in Harston

Only a few weeks after the event, I finally got round to processing some Infra Red pictures of Harston in the snow.  Better late than never, I suppose...


Sunday 25 March 2012

Fowlmere Nature Reserve

Joy of joys: a weekend off from the normal run of family and Camera Club commitments.  The only downside is that I'm suffering from a stinking cold, but then one can't have everything!  The weather was so beautiful this afternoon that I wandered down to the RSPB reserve in Fowlmere - not so much in the hope of seeing lots of wonderful wildlife, but just to get out in the fresh air.

There was a small amount of bird life visible (a handful of greylag geese, a coot, a couple of lapwings and some rooks).  Everything else had probably been scared away by the kids running around, but it was still very pleasant sitting in the hide.


Having run out of feathered subjects, I was forced to look at the plant life (of which there wasn't much).  Luckily the Pussy Willow was in full "bloom", although it was tricky trying to find a clean and sympathetic background.  The two pictures below were shot against a reed bed and a chalk stream respectively, both in shadow.  I think I prefer the blue background, as it complements the yellow pollen beautifully.