Mrs Peacock

Following up on my last post, here are a few shots of Mr Peacock’s other half.

© [John Mallaney] and [john mallaney In The Frame], [2014]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [John Mallaney] and [john mallaney In The Frame] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 

Mr Peacock

Here are a few shots of a peacock taken recently at Scone Palace in Scotland.  Although native to Southern Asia and Malaysia, they are commonly seen in  stately homes, palaces and castles in the UK.  Owing to their spectacular appearance and fan like rear feathers it is no surprise that the Chinese then the Europeans just had to import them.

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Grey Wagtail

Here are a few shots of a grey wagtail, which is more colourful than its name suggests.

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Great tits from fledging to fledglings – Part 2

Following on from part 1, here are a number of shots of two great tit fledglings.  Unfortunately, from what I observed, one of the fledglings flew straight into a garden bush from where he seemed reluctant to move, so it was not unexpected that he was found dead the following morning.  The other fledgling (pictured on the ground) appeared not too keen to fly and I do not know what came of him.  The remaining great tits fledged two day later and went straight to the trees.

© [John Mallaney] and [john mallaney In The Frame], [2014]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [John Mallaney] and [john mallaney In The Frame] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Great tits from fledging to fledglings – Part 1

The fledgling part will follow on from this post, so for the time being let’s concentrate on the fledging.  Here are a few shots of great tit chicks in a bird box in my garden minutes before it’s time to leave and explore the big bad world.  The process of the adults tempting the chicks out to the initial fight for survival is surprisingly dramatic.

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Strike A Pose

Here are a few shots of a robin – always eager to pose.

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Parental Responsibilities

We have a nest box outside which is currently being noisily occupied by a number of great tit chicks.  As the adults were constantly going back and forward to the bird box to feed the chicks it presented me with the opportunity to capture them in flight.  I set my camera up on my tripod and using a wireless shutter remote I simply sat and waited.

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Wren

Here are a few shots of a wren taken recently at Wilstone reservoir near Aylesbury.

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Kingfisher

Having been a keen amateur photographer for nearly three years now, one of my main aims was to capture the elusive kingfisher; however, only twice have I seen a this bird, and by that I mean a blue flash travelling at great speed, with absolutely no opportunity to have my camera at the ready.    Taking all this into consideration, I presumed that the only way to achieve this was in the company of a professional photographer or attending a workshop.  However, whilst at Wilstone reservoir in Hertfordshire, I was spending a considerable amount of time trying to capture wrens that were fleeing in and out of the reed beds, when I noticed a kingfisher speed past my front; but this time he perched on a branch for approximately 50 seconds.  Although this seems quite a long period of time, panic mode took over as I tried to get my camera to focus and avoid the annoying branches that were blocking my field of view.  In the end I achieved what I consider to be three average shots – had I been a bit closer, the kingfisher may not have perched at all and I wouldn’t be writing this post.  I suppose that three shots that are not as sharp as I would have liked are better than nothing at all.

© [John Mallaney] and [john mallaney In The Frame], [2014]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [John Mallaney] and [john mallaney In The Frame] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content