Briefest Brogborough Visit!

It was both bright and breezy here at Caddington, so I did not bother to check what the wind might be like at Brogborough. As it transpired there was less breeze here than where I had set off from! As I neared the lake I saw very little activity, and when I arrived there were just the windsurfers out and they were a long way away!

I decided there was only one chance of getting any meaningful pictures and that was from the far side, at Common Farm, I met the owner and her daughter as they were coming along the drive and fortunately she recognised me and told me where I might park.

I got out my camera and tripod and headed for a spot where I could capture the action and after a few quick pictures, decided that as the wind direction had altered, I might be better further round, but sadly by the time I reached there, the wind had died still further and no one was going to be coming my way.
That was it! No more shooting – I headed back to the Clubhouse to say Cheerio to Emma and Sam, bemoaning that I must be the kiss of death to any action on the lake, and bid them both farewell.

The gallery has almost every shot I managed to get in that brief encounter – the shortest spell at the lake ever!

Bedfordshire Youth Concert Band 20th Anniversary

Lizzy studied Music with a Bedfordshire band and at Harlington and was due to play in this Anniversary celebration at a Church in Bedford and we were invited to come along and join in with the occasion.

Diane and Tony kindly picked me up at Caddington, and I was ready despite their ealy arrival, such was the anticipation. My original intention was for me to drive them up to save them the additional petrol, but the offer was refused so with my generosity knowing no bounds I bought all our tickets (at the Concessions rate! – I did say it knew no bounds!) We were among the earliest arrivals despite hitting Bedford’s rush-hour traffic congestion.

We secured seats that hopefully would allow at least an uninterrupted view of Lizzy without being deafened by the enthusiastic playing of so many in such a confined space. We were reliably informed the Trombones were the loudest instruments, but we were at least on the side furthest from them in aisle seats. After the first number a family group caused great mirth when they upped and headed for the the rear of the auditorium, duly acknowledged by Master of Ceremonies and Conductor Kevin Nicholls, saying they had been warned!

All the numbers were both recognisable and enjoyable, and played with passion, precision and enjoyment and were enthusiastically appreciated by the audience, not least by one young boy who had chosen the very front row, his hands and feet proved he was not there under sufferance but pure enjoyment, he seemed to particularly appreciate the solo trumpeters right in front of him!

I did my best to capture as many of the players as was possible from my fixed position in the central aisle – it is always a shame when a Band or Orchestra are not either banked or one’s viewing is not from an elevated position, as many individuals are therefore shielded from view. It is always a challenge from my standpoint to isolate the playing hands and the individual instruments; made even more difficult when trying to keep camera and lens steady when my feet are controlled by the beat of the music, and light is at a premium – I want some movement, but rarely a complete blur!

I can say without any hesitation a great evening was had by all, the music wonderful made all the better by the atmosphere of fun and dedication, as was brought to all of us by Kevin illustrating how everyone had progressed and many had even taken up Music for their careers.

Thank you to one and all, and may some of the newest players continue in the tradition and make music. I hope I may have captured something of the essence of the evening in the gallery of pictures associated with this text, though not in the correct order (Thanks - Eric Morecombe).

Cold Good Friday – Tring Reservoirs

In the hope of the wind dying back and the possibility of fitful sunshine, I headed for Tring Reservoirs. On my arrival it was still dull and as I walked from the Weir along the path between Startops and Marsworth reservoirs, the wind was very obvious, and I had come layered up but without a coat – bad mistake!

At first there seemed little activity beyond numerous Coots and Mallard, but then I spotted the distinctive flight of wagtails as they looped out from the bank and back again, and then foraging in the grass. I did spot a couple of Grebe that were showing signs of interest in each other, but continuing observation did not suggest they might start their dance ritual. I also spotted some swans that became restless and would take off, and move just a few yards before landing again, leaving one of their number behind in the corner between the reservoirs and the canal on the Marsworth side. He became very aggressive towards a single Greylag Goose, but the behaviour was very odd; his head was lowered as he fast-pedalled towards the goose, but it certainly put the wind up his opponent who amidst a flurry of wings took off and landed a few lengths away, but the swan employed the same behaviour a few more times; I could not work out quite why the Goos was so intimidated.

The Canada Geese like the Swans seemed to spend time flying from one spot to another, but their numbers were far smaller than those I had seen at Wilstone a fortnight or so back. On Startops End a lone Grebe seemed happy on its own and was successful on one dive I was able to capture. It seemed a small prize for a bird of its size, since I had once witnessed a Grebe swallowing two freshwater crawfish within a five minute spell.

I twice closed up the tripod to head home, and each time I spotted something else, such as Swans in flight, that caught my eye, so hastily used the tripod as a monopod to grab the shots! The reason for leaving early was to be ready for the off later to see my daughter Lizzy’s 20th Anniversary of Playing with Bedfordshire Music at a church in Bedford.

Brisk and Blustery Brogborough

Having watched my delayed recordings of the Malaysian Grand Prix, seen the promise of real competition for the Mercedes Team by Ferrari, and the impressive performances of Kimi Raikonen; the Toro Rosso Rookies, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen and the excellent win by Sebastian Vettel, I felt enervated by the desire to take advantage of the high, but blustery wind that beckoned from beyond my windows. I knew it was a chance, but I reckoned that such a wind would entice the Windsurfers likely to jump to get to the lake.

As I came along the road from Brogborough village I saw no one had ventured onto the lake, and I did wonder whether I had made a mistake. I pulled into the car park, got out of the car and battled against the onshore wind and spotted a lone windsurfer just setting off. This did not seem a promising start! Especially as the few breaks in the cloud cover I had seen on my journey up the M1, had disappeared completely, and the rain had restarted. I watched a while before going to the car and getting the camera and tripod set up, if just one man went out I might yet get some pictures.

I readied my gear, set the ISO to 640 and using Aperture Priority set f/8 to give me a chance to stop the action and a bit of leeway for me to keep the subjects in focus! I took a groundsheet  to sit on and set the tripod at its lowest, but with the legs a little wide to give me some stability, and attempted to get the groundsheet down without it getting blown away, and sat down to set it all up. I did get a few shots off, before the wave of rain headed ominously towards me in a white haze, I hastily packed the tripod back up and headed for the Portakabin and rest area. I had no hands free, so was very grateful when one of the windsurfers generously opened the door for me.

The small group within all gathered at the windows to watch the squally rain lash against the panes, we also watched one of their number assemble his sail outside in his normal clothes get a drenching such that he was going to have to step into wet clothes when he finished surfing! Fortunately after about ten minutes the rain abated, so I went back out.

The sun did appear very occasionally and I was rewarded by one man doing several jumps, so my journey was far from a waste. When I left there was just one back out on the lake, but the cold had penetrated my body and my cough had returned, so packed the car and set off back home.

Stockwood Discovery Centre – Spring in the Greenhouse

Since there was blossom on my fruit trees, I thought I’d take a quick trip to the Stockwood Discovery Centre, as I had also not visited for a while and wanted a word with the Gardeners there. The sun which had greeted me in the early morning had retired before I set off, but as I entered, it re-appeared. As I made my way through in search of the gardeners I had hoped to meet, the beds were all bare, so I began to think I might be out of luck for any photos, so I did not even unpack a camera at this stage.

I enquired of a staff member whether the particular gardener, Jan was in and learned that she was, but neither he nor another gardener knew of her whereabouts, so I thanked them and headed for the greenhouse, where I met up with Bridey, who told me Jan would soon be returning. Now I did get out the camera and started taking a few shots of the Bird of Paradise flower and soon Jan reappeared and I briefly showed her the details of the house I was hoping to buy and move into.

I managed to find a few specimens that caught my eye and for a change it was a pleasant and temperate climate in there. As I took shots I learned about some of the plans for the new season, in particular a wide variety of sunflowers are due, which particularly pleased me as I always find them a happy flower.

Since it was coming to the end of their day, I was bid farewell and asked to lock up when I finished which was not too long after, and after a cull, the gallery of images from the jaunt was forty pictures in the Gallery. As I left the sky blackened, but the sun remained, providing nice light for some blowing grasses against the sky.

Lilley Bottom Lane – Afternoon

Lilley Bottom Lane runs between two ridges with scattered woodland and fields, some with Sheep and Cattle; above Red Kite and Buzzards are often to be seen. It was here I headed on Sunday in the hope that I would be lucky, but having parked up, none were to be seen. Rather than walk up the hill in the field amongst sheep, I chose to walk into the nearer woods on the same side as my car. I was passed by the occasional runner and strollers, as along the road were numerous Lycra-clad cyclists pedalling furiously to raise their temperatures to avoid the effects of the chill wind.

For the first hour since my arrival, I remained in the open in anticipation with my newly-acquired carbon fibre tripod fully assembled and waiting, but little of import occurred, so simply looked around for other images before heading into the woods where I found how life and death of plants were intertwined; it was obvious this hillside wood was a magnet for rain, as witnessed by the moss covering many fallen, twisted tree branches. It was equally obvious that many of the felled trees had subsequently given birth to more young trees, this wood was indeed old, yet very much alive, I also saw evidence of young shoots of bluebell leaves, so it will be interesting to revisit for that display soon. It was a shame that for most of the next hours there was no sign of sun, but as I returned downhill, the sun did arrive.

I hoped this might also herald the arrival of some birds of prey, especially as rabbits came out to play, so I found myself taking shots of metallic birds as they took off from Luton Airport, and I had never been here when the wind favoured them heading this way; normally I saw them with undercarriage extended for landing, so it did make them look more elegant, and I tried to ensure they were against a mixture of blue sky and clouds.

And then a single pair of red kite visited me briefly and then a walker stopped by to chat. From the conversation that ensued it seemed we may have met before at Tring reservoirs. It was a very welcome diversion and since no more birds came my way we eventually walked down the hill together before parting. It turned out that we had indeed met before because the man, David Rudeforth returned home to find my business card from that earlier occasion and he duly emailed me to let me know!

Marsworth Misty Morning – Wildlife

I felt the urge to visit the Tring Reservoirs and with the mornings getting lighter, decided that it would have to be an early start despite the forecast of mist.

As I arrived in my favourite spot, I had to tread carefully as another photographer was already there and the last thing I wanted was to destroy his concentration or disturb the subjects he was photographing, and the bank is steep at that point with little support to be found at the steepest point. I had already extended one leg of the tripod to help me fortunately and I set down by his side with the minimum of fuss as I asked had he had much luck; he replied reluctantly, not a lot.

As I put down the legs and levelled the camera, I introduced myself and learned he was Mike Casey and though the name was new to me, it became clear he was obviously knowledgable and way more experienced than me and we had a mutual friend in Merv, whom I had met in this spot on several occasions over the last two years. We spoke in hushed tones and he spotted kingfishers long before I caught sight of them, and I learned his aim on this occasion was to catch shots of the mink, but though the previous morning he had been lucky, today it was not to be.

We were constantly visited by blue tits, but they invariably were screened by numerous branches and they were far to flitty, but I spotted a single woodpecker and Mike pointed out the Wren feeding in front of use, whilst on the far bank I caught sight of a muntjac briefly, we had several kingfisher flybys and Mike was lucky enough to catch a male with a fish, but I was unlucky on that score, and did manage a couple of shots of the squirrel.

We both stayed till the cold took its toll and departed together, chatting as we walked along the canalside and Mike pointed out where he had taken shots of the mink complete with fish as he came straight towards him along the grass bank then went across the path and back into the reservoir. He also showed me other spots he had seen kingfishers perching and fishing in the past. We parted by our cars after a quick walk along the far side of Tringford lake, and I set off to my daughter’s home.

Sawston Village College – West Road, Cambridge

It's that time of year again when I drive to Sawston and join my daughter and her teenage twins for their School Concert held in the West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge. It very far from a chore — it has been an annual trip to enjoy a wonderful evening of varied Music from every level of ability; it always attracts a full house of parents, other relatives and friends and is beautifully organised by staff and volunteers. The standard is high and the discipline is there, but the staff welcome a variety of off the wall less than formal items that the children arrange amongst themselves.

It is a serious occasion and the children respect this and enter into the whole evening with relish, and I am absolutely certain that many on the stage that night will go on to greater things within the world of music, and for those that don't make it a career they will gain a measure of confidence for later life that will stand them in good stead.

I thoroughly enjoy going through the photos after the event and spot nuances I missed live, but I apologise that they are not in strict chronological order because I have managed not to synchronise the time on both camera bodies, so shots taken on the wider angle lens are interspersed with the main long lens shots; if I am to get the gallery of images up on the blog then they will have to remain thus, as I am halfway trough another massive tech-editing job for Martin Evening's next 'Photoshop for Photographers' book. I hope that does not spoil anyone's enjoyment of the pictures contained in the gallery.

In case anyone is interested in the lenses and bodies used, they were the 100-400mm on the EOS 7D MkII and the 24-105mm on the EOS 5D MkIII often at full aperture on either lens, at high ISOs, because I do not use flash on such occasions as this is quite unfair to those performing and spoils the enjoyment of the audience. I also take care not to shoot during quiet passages of music for the same reasons.

Marsworth, a Giottos Tripod and Birds

Saturday had been a wonderful dry and warm day, but I was so far behind that I had to spend all the daylight hours in front of a computer screen, Sunday was not scheduled to be great, but was bright at the start, but I still had work to do, and it was already clouding over as I set off regardless to the Tring Reservoirs.

I now had a carbon fibre tripod and was determined to see whether with a head leveller and the Lensmaster gimbal head, it was light enough to be manhandled a fair distance. Having it all assembled for quick use did not make it particularly easy, but it was manageable, and once settled, it proved its worth; it was very easy to get the legs in safe locations and then levelling meant the gimbal offered an easy and stable way to move the lens.

As I arrived at my destination Terry’s familiar face greeted me, and I settled quietly alongside and enquired as to whether his luck had been in, but sadly he had spent more than an hour already, fruitlessly. It seems it was likely Merv who had been down earlier, and had been luckier. We settled down to a lengthy wait before we caught sight of a kingfisher, but it simply made a flyby. We were surrounded by bluetits attracted by seeds which had been spread nearby, but they were wary of our robin. He spent very little time with us on this occasion. The squirrel was out and about, but often only visible through branches.

Terry gave in and departed generously remarking that his leaving might well be my good luck, and an hour after he left, he was proven correct as the kingfisher arrived and stayed a while, but never went fishing, though he did treat the fish to two jetted excretions, obviously everything is done at speed by kingfishers, also he did not choose the most advantageous branch upon which to land; it was badly shielded by other branches. I would have spent more time there, but the wind and rain arrived, so I changed my mind and left.

I had been glad of the leveller when it was in use, but keeping the camera, leveller and head on the tripod meant it was cumbersome on the return walk, though manageable.

Clophill – Old St. Mary’s Church – Fundraising Photographic Day

Morning Session Gallery

Afternoon Session Gallery

Andy Fox, whom I met a few years back whilst out with my camera close by a lake where he was an angler has been heavily involved in voluntary work to conserve the old church and now the fund-raising to add eco lodges to the venue to preserve the work done at the church. The Old St. Mary’s Church lies approximately at the midpoint of the Greensand Ridge Trail and is itself composed of this local sandstone.

Andy it was who asked whether I would like to make my contribution to his pet project by joining a group of hopefully at least six photographers and join a Day photographing a series of raptors that he would be providing as subjects. This was an opportunity not to be missed and I sincerely hoped he would get the required number for the venture to go ahead. I had thoroughly enjoyed a similar day at Old Warden, so it was not a difficult decision; ahead of the day, I was hoping England’s notoriously fickle weather would be kind to us, and although I set off in rain, it had all but stopped by my arrival at Clophill.

I met up with other participants, both at Andy’s house and later at the eco lodges where we assembled ourselves and our assorted camera gear; as one of only two Canon users I was joshed for my choice, but it was all lighthearted banter that I might have meted out were the boot on the other foot – there was certainly no malice, simply a typical way of breaking the ice amongst a small group. After a short talk about the aims of the Trust for the church and the eco lodges site, Andy explained the plans for the day; it was to be static birds in the morning session and hopefully the birds in flight at some time in the afternoon, with a break for refreshments before the afternoon session.

We were introduced to Emily who was looking after and providing our models for the day before setting off for the ruins of the church where, amidst the first signs of Spring; small clumps of snowdrops amongst last season’s autumn leaves, we were to find backdrops for the subjects of our images. I chose to use the 5D MkIII and the Canon 100-400mm for the morning and in the afternoon I used the 7D MkII and Tamron 150-600mm.

Due to earlier commitments I already knew it would be some time before I would be able to do any of the post processing of the files and so it will be nearly a week before these are up in a gallery on my blog. I hope that despite the number of images there is sufficient variety to enjoy the experience of looking at what I shot.

The birds featured are  a tawny owl, a barn owl, an eagle owl and a kestrel.

Gimbal Head for Sale – Induro GHB2

SOLD

Over the last couple of days I have been investigating the possibilities of part-exchanging my Induro GHB2 Gimbal head in order to ease the pain of buying a carbon fibre tripod, because my current very sturdy aluminium one is simply too heavy to trudge long distances with my DSLR and long telephoto lens. I have been using a monopod which I am able to often strap to a tree with a bungee and use an Acrotech head in gimbal mode atop and this is far lighter. However, when I cannot support the monopod then I do have to have excellent lighting conditions to use it with confidence, under those conditions I have come to the conclusion a much lighter tripod is a better option.

The retail price new appears to be around the £350 mark currently and since I was unable to find a company that had the tripod I sought and accept the gimbal head in part exchange and the price offered for an unencumbered sale was way too low, I am wondering whether the vehicle of my blog might reach someone who would be willing to pay £195 including VAT for it, excluding postage and packing. Naturally I would prefer it was collected that way the purchaser would not be buying blind and I would require cash and would supply a VAT receipt. I am Sole Proprietor of SOLUTIONS photographic and am VAT-registered

I am based near Luton in Bedfordshire and can be contacted for further details using my gmail address:
rodwp@gmail.com

Above is an up-to-date photo of the head and a close-up of the minor ding it has sustained, which has no adverse effect on the operation, but is naturally a blemish on the otherwise excellent condition.
The quick release plate is the Arca Swiss style, but I cannot supply the plate.

A Good Day – Despite a Dental Visit

What defines a Good Day? Sunshine helps. And after several typically grey English days, a bright and crisply nippy day is a good start. Starting with a Dental appointment is not really the precursor one might expect for a good omen, but hey, this is the real world!

I had not noted down the precise time for said appointment so was early by a wide margin and right outside the Dentists was a bus stop, so I stood by the entrance, but close to the shelter to lessen the wind, but in the sunlight and several girls turned up who obviously knew each other, but three coaches pulled up and left without any of their number boarding, then the answer came as one girl arrived obviously well-known to the others, but after greeting them turned to open the locked gate! They all moved towards the newly open entrance then stopped, said “Good Morning” to me and waved me ahead. I smiled and let the Key Lady pass and thanked them upon entry and sat down to wait.

I did not have to wait too long before my specific dentist arrived and greeted me with a handshake, but it was a while before he actually called me in for the examination. He was happy with my self diagnosis, and informed me that one tooth was going to be ‘tricky’ – a euphemism I recognise as ‘painful’ and ‘expensive’, but that would be at a later date…

I then returned to base, read the morning’s emails, sent a few off, flicked through my website regulars then assembled my rucksack with camera gear and a chocolate bar so that I could leave promptly and not squander this gift of bright sunlight. In my haste, I failed to consider that half-term meant the road to Whipsnade would be brimming with parents taking their children to the Zoo! Coming to the tailback I spotted a chance to use a driveway in which to swing round and take a circuitous route to reach my destination and a planned meeting with the Tringford Trout Fisheries Water Bailiff. I did make good time however and actually passed him walking along the road, but had not been certain it was him till he hailed me as I was getting the kit from the boot.

We chatted as we let ourselves into the anglers’ area and walked to the jetty; his task was to fire off a few blanks to scare the cormorants from the lake, then we both walked back across the road to take the path between Startops End and Marsworth reservoirs, where we parted company as I headed towards Bulbourne. Before we had met up a father and boy had been leaving a parked car just before my arrival and we exchanged pleasantries, well soon after I had left Bob the Bailiff, we met again and immediately he said he had seen two kingfishers in the direction I was heading and another by the weir near the entrance, I was delighted at this unprompted news and thanked him warmly with much more of a spring in my step – my first good omen! I made my way to my familiar spot and had barely strapped the monopod to the tree stump when squinting against the sun I spotted a kingfisher had landed on a far branch complete with fish!

 I was obviously over-excited as the first few frames were not sharp, but this beauty obviously felt for me because he hung around for the longest time I have ever experienced when they were within sight, so much so that I made several inadvertent burst through tension and as I waited patiently for signs of his departure, I was so stiff I was unable to move fast enough to capture his takeoff. I was to see him fly by several more times in the next few hours, but he never again settled. Not long after I heard rustling behind me and another intrepid photographer arrived, I said hello and commented that I took it he was here for the same reason as myself – to get shots of the Golden Eagle – he nodded sagely! Later we introduced ourselves and I learned he was Terry. We had seen the mink dive into the water after what we assumed were some of the Mallard ducks, but he came out with a fair-sized fish! When I was leaving later we spotted the mink again, and he did manage to get a few shots, but my camera was back in my rucksack! I left wishing him the best of luck.

Arriving home I found I had a message from a client agreeing to meet me on the following Monday, and as I was responding another message came through from him, asking me to quote on some retouching. I was definitely having a Good Day!

Wilstone Reservoir – More Birds

The house was tidy enough for the second viewing of the day, and the next couple were coming for their second viewing, so I felt they should be without my presence, and despite the poor weather conditions I felt the pull of the reservoirs and the desire to take more pictures. I took only the one camera and lens, but did take the tripod on this occasion, though there were occasions when I took the camera off the tripod and shot handheld.

The Cormorants are not my favourite bird, but it was interesting to watch one that was nest-building; high in the trees of the island.

In general the birds were further from the shore on this visit, and I watched the Greylag Geese arrive, but only took a single shot at this time. Later when I heard the announcement of imminent take-off, I had the camera in my hand and for a change got some quite nice shots as they came by and headed for the nearby field, I missed the first group, got some nice shots of the second departure, but failed miserably with the final group!

Despite my ungainly load, I trekked all the way round to the Hide, and got the shots of Pochard, Teal and Grebe from there before my return to the lake side and the lone Pied Wagtail and the afore-mentioned Greylag leaving. It was during that episode that I got into a conversation with a Group who were going to the Wildlife pictures at Tring Museum, which I had wrongly assumed was the exhibition at the Stockwood Discovery Centre.

It was one of the Greylag pictures that pleased me most from this trip.

A View of the Wildlife Awards Images in Luton

Product Designer, Peter Carr and I took time out to visit the Stockwood Discovery Centre and the Exhibition of the British Wildlife Photography Awards on display there. I also took the opportunity to add him as a figure viewing some of the images, since earlier I had only been able to show the layout of the displayed pictures when I had been fortunate just before it opened.

For those with an interest in wildlife, a visit to see these images is highly recommended; the standard is superb – not only are they varied, there is much humour in the scenes covered, both Peter and I laughed out loud on several occasions, or made comments as we looked at pictures that brought back memories of our own. The range of animals, insects and small plants was extensive and intriguing as were the range of activities and locations, also once again, it was pleasing to see work from the young. Luck, patience and perception were all in abundance and it was obvious in many cases that the photographer would certainly have had some tough conditions to endure in order to capture the shots on show. I found it very inspiring, but such a shame that in the more than an hour of our time there, there were no other visitors. This display is an annual gem that deserves to be viewed in greater numbers.

It is open till March the fifteenth, and for those unfamiliar with the Discovery Centre, there is much to see beyond this particular exhibition, there is a whole courtyard devoted to the local history of Bedfordshire, the display of carriages and articles from Luton’s rich past, and Vauxhall cars over the years. Then there are numerous gardens to take a stroll through, as well as an area devoted exclusively for young children which is generally very well attended and enjoyed, as is the restaurant.

I grabbed a few other incidentals before I left and my eye was caught by the intertwined tangles of the reeds on my way, so took a few shots of these before taking the car to the petrol station to fill up for the rest of the week’s driving. Altogether a worthwhile hour and a half on an otherwise dull day.

Winter Sun at Wilstone

http://www.fntn.co.uk/rodwp/WilstoneWinterBirdlife

Getting up very early on Sunday was never going to be an option as the evening before had been spent over near Aylesbury to allow my daughter and her husband to celebrate the anniversary of their first meeting, and with their two Duracell-powered children, they rarely get peaceful time together alone, hence my going over to provide cover such that they could relax in a more peaceful atmosphere at a local restaurant. They need never have worried as there was only one very minor whimper from my granddaughter, but presumably it was in her sleep, because it faded before I had even reached the bottom of the stairs, and never recurred.

I decided that with such bright sunlight beckoning, I would visit the reservoir at Wilstone once again. The journey over was measured at a constant 1˚C as it had been for most of the preceding week, so no surprise there, but on arrival, the temperature must have risen as I clomped through thick, glutinous mud to reach the banks of the lake. It is at times like this that I do begin to wish for the more solid underfoot experience of the recent frosts.

I had come with a monopod on this occasion to keep the weight down and due to the risks of slipping and falling did not attach the camera and lens till I had arrived at the water’s edge – the water level was much higher than my last visit which was bad news for wading birds, but good for the reed beds. At the nearest corner there was still ice at the edge of the reeds. It was here that I took advantage of the metal covers over presumably sluices, to get the camera onto the monopod and balance the lens using the slider on the quick-release plate. I waited awhile here to see whether anything stirred amongst the reeds, but soon started gingerly along the narrow stone edging to keep out of the mud as much as possible. I took up a position just after the first bush in case the wagtails were around, but they kept their distance.

I came alongside an angler where a few Grebe were, and soon found myself in conversation and learned he generally found he had better luck close to where the Grebe frequented. Occasionally I greeted other photographers as they came past and some were happy to chat as I waited to spot the grey wagtail that had appeared. After awhile I moved further along the edge and soon was lucky enough to spot a lone Teal with its partner, this was my first chance to see Teal close-to.

I spent quite a deal of time trying to capture the diving of a particularly busy Pochard and I had an almost 99% failure rate because it moved so fast and I was unable to spot any precursor movement; it was even harder to capture the Grebe diving, as it slid under rather than leapt as the Pochard was wont to do, so I have numerous shots to simply bin when it comes to the processing!

Altogether though I spent a very enjoyable couple of hours once again taking photos with the 150-600mm and the EOS 7D MkII, but in future I will try to manhandle a tripod rather than the monopod in the future.