The ‘Weird or Wonderful?

 

A trip to see the new " attraction " at Martin Mere - The ‘Weird or Wonderful? Such a shame to see the Avocets trapped in the netted enclosure with the Crown Crane's. They looked so stressed.

The last days of autumn.

The last colours of Autumn around Coniston, a tranquil morning with blue skies and reflections.

Arthur Ransome based his childrens’ book ‘Swallows and Amazons’ on locations around Coniston Water and Donald Campbell broke the water speed record on Coniston Water in 1955, and was killed attempting to regain it again in 1967. It was also on the home of John Ruskin the famous art critic for the last thirty years of his life living at Brantwood House across the lake.
 

Tarn Howes

Tarn Hows, or The Tarns, is one of the most visited spots in Lakeland,yet is not entirely typical of the local landscape, for the tarn is partly artificial, being three tarns joined together in the 19th Century.Surrounded by thick woodland, and views towards Wetherlam, the Helvellyn range and the Langdale Pikes.

Blackpool Illuminations

The Blackpool Illuminations have been a major part of Blackpool’s attraction since 1879 when they were described as ‘Artificial Sunshine’ and have been a guiding light for visitors to the resort ever since.

Loch Pityoulish, Aviemore

The autumn colours where fabulous up in the Cairngorms last week. We have drove past this little loch many times but this was the first time we have ever stopped and taken some pictures.

A Grouse called Gordon

Male Red Grouse ( Lagopus lagopus scotica ) Cairngorms, Scotland.

Taken this week in the Cairngorms, Scotland. We took a trip over the moors on the off chance we would come across some Red Grouse. As you can see we found one who wasn't quiet as shy as we expected. He was in fact a very chatty Grouse who we nicknamed Gordon . Armed with a 400mm lens I had a few problems taking pictures of him as he kept coming far to close to the car.  He also posed for our new Flickr friends : Carole, Janet, David and Paul AKA foxylady29, norfolk Jen, Davvid Buggin & Foxley65 -  glad you found him too.  

RSPB Leighton Moss : We all stand together.

A visit to RSPB Leighton Moss yesterday where the BBC where busy getting ready for Autumn Watch next week. It was a great day for photography the light was just right and there was very little wind. I took far to many pictures of this group of Mallards standing in various positions on this log.

Lady Chapel - Liverpool Cathedral ( Viewed from a balcony directly opposite the altar).

A trip this week to Liverpool Cathedral for the first time and a chance to have a go at some interior shots with my Sony NEX-6 ( a little less obtrusive and much lighter than carrying the 5D around). I have done some work in photoshop adjusting the levels and straightening the verticals, but it is a one shot image with no HDR or tone mapping involved. The Sony is an amazing little camera.

Built on St James's Mount in Liverpool, The Anglican Cathedral is the largest in the UK and the fifth largest in the world.

"There can be only one."

Taken on a trip this week to the Highlands of Scoltand, we where fortunate to just to catch the last golden rays of light on the one and only Eilean Donan Castle on the shores of Loch Duich. The castle was used in the filming of the classic 1986 film Highlander film . The movies catch phrase was "There can be only one " a reference to the fact that in the end only one Immortal may survive The Game and gain The Prize.

A trip to Mull

 Duart Castle

Room with a view of the ferry coming into Craignure

 Sailing boats at Salen

The famous wrecks at Salen

Julie's Buggy goes to Bempton

We have really become bird photographers this year with another trip to RSPB Bempton Cliffs yesterday to see the Gannets. These fabulous seabirds seemed to be taking as much interested in us as we watched them fly overhead.

An amazing interior

From the modern day staircase in Liverpool Central Library.

To the ceiling detail in the Picton Reading Room 

( processed with graduate 1 filter in Nik HDR Effects - not sure about the filter.).

Iron Men at Crosby

A trip to Crosby to photograph the Iron Men A.K.A Another Place by Anthony Gormley. It is very difficult to get a different angle on these photogenic statues but on a sunny summer day with the tide out this is the best I could come up with using silver effex pro  2 - preset 24 Full contrast and structure. then one press of the button and it's done !

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit taken at RSPB Marshside.

Fountains Abbey

Britain's largest monastic ruin and most complete Cistercian abbey is a World Heritage site. Fountains Abbey was the second of the Yorkshire houses to be founded. In spite of its rather inauspicious beginnings, Fountains became the largest and richest of the Northern abbeys and headed an extensive family that extended to the shores of Norway. Fountains stemmed from the Benedictine house of St Mary’s, York, where a group of reform-minded monks fled from their abbey to pursue a harsher and more disciplined way of monastic life.

A day trip to Anglesey

 

Menai Suspension Bridge

 

The Menai Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the first modern suspension bridge in the world.

Puffin Island and Trwyn Du Lighthouse

Puffin Island is an uninhabited island off the eastern tip of Anglesey, Wales. It was formerly known as Priestholm in English and Ynys Lannog in Welsh.Trwyn Du Lighthouse is a lighthouse between Dinmor Point near Penmon and Ynys Seriol, or Puffin Island, south east Anglesey, at the north entrance to the Menai Strait and marking the passage between the two islands.

A blast from the past

JSRA Jet Ski race Meeting at Leisure Lakes at Tarleton. Lots of action but a lot less competitors than I remember.

Who says romance is dead ?

A photo from our trip to Bempton Cliffs last week. I am not sure if this is normal behavior, but this Gannet was definitely picking a bunch of flowers rather than grass from the cliffs tops before flying off with a bunch in it's beak.

Downy Ducking's

A trip to Martin Mere and we where surprised to still see lots of duckings around. These little Shelduck where particularly cute.

June - Discovering Dorset

 

Chesil Beach and St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury.

Lyme Regis Harbour

 

The Beach at Sandbanks

Old Harry's Rocks, Swanage

Wareham

Gizzies First Puffin

Another first for us, a trip to Bempton Cliffs to see the Puffins and Gannets. There where also Fulmars, Guillemots and Razorbills. So here he is my first ever sighting and photograph of one of the little guys perched precariously on the sheer cliff face.

Slalom At Bala

It is a long time since we made a journey to the National White Water Centre on the River Tryweryn, Bala to photograph a Premier Slalom event. This time the run was down to Chapel falls.

Duckling's and Daisies

Duckling's and Daisies or rather to be technically correct Gosling and Daisies. This little Snow Goose chick was happily trundling through this beautiful display of daisies on a lawn on a trip to the Lake District this week.

Godrevy Lighthouse, Hale.

 Our first trip of the year to a bright but very breezy Cornwall.

Dipper in the Dell

Another first for me this time photographing a Dipper feeding young in the Dell at Bodnant Garden in North Wales ( ISO 3200).

Panoramic Skye in April

Sligachan

Elgol

Skye Bridge

Balmacara

Five Sisters of Kintail

Glenelg

The north wind still blows.

The first trip of the year Bodnant Garden and we where in for a bit of a disappointment. This is about the only picture I took of the Magnolia buds waiting to open.

Great Crested Grebe

Birds again this week and a Great Crested Grebe. We where hoping for one of those magical moments with a pair of grebes displaying together but I think they had had a tiff. I was just happy to see them so close and photograph them for the first time.

Great Crested Grebe

We seem to be turning into bird photographers at the moment and spent a couple of afternoons this week photographing the Grebes at Mere Sands Wood whilst trying to decide which camera is the sharpest.

Black-tailed godwits

A lucky encounter in very dramatic weather Black-tailed godwits in breeding plumage taken at the RSPB hide at Marshside.

Snipe at 1600 ISO !

Getting better at this bird photography, must be the new camera. I was pleased to see this Snipe at Leighton Moss and took a few snaps in very poor light never thinking I would get a usable shot.

Aviemore and a frozen Loch Morlich

Gizzies Travels 2013 got off to a flying start with a trip to the Cairngorms. We could not go to Aviemore without going down to see Loch Morlich and it's resident flock of mallards however much to our surprise it was frozen over.

Evening light Talacre Lighthouse

A place a have been wanting to see for a few years, we arrived with the tide out and the last rays of light catching the old lighthouse at Talacre in North Wales.

Kirkstone Pass viewed from Troutbeck.

A trip to the Lake District and there was still some snow left over the mountains of Kirkstone Pass.