He Who Waits

I've spent a bit of time of late building what I call my "Theater of Dreams". Basically it's a platform about a meter square with various ad-dons, it can be moved and adjusted in height. I can dress the top with dead leaves for an Autumn scene, or boulders and gravel, logs, in fact anything I want within reason.
I was beginning to wonder if all had been in vain, as all of the above is pretty useless without birds on it.
Some birds did eventually start to use it, but in pretty atrocious light although this stood me in good stead as it gave me a chance to evaluate the various backdrops.
So, all I needed now was good light and good birds.
Well all comes to he who waits.




This week also brought something of the high-life. After returning from a great weekend in Manchester watching "The John Wilson Orchestra" playing music from the MGM films (very few dates left, so if you have a chance to get a ticket, don't pay for it, DIE for it! its that good), Cheshire Life dropped through the letter box with a couple of my images adorning the wildlife section. I don't urge you to buy it, unless your in the market for a house for around Three Million quid.

Fleetwood Mac...luckily no.

Saturday dawned to a cloudless sky and beautiful sunshine with a slight breeze that chilled the the air as it does at this time of year. It wasn't at all what was forecast. So I decided to head north to Fleetwood, where a Great-northern Diver had been reported on the Marine lake.


Red Breasted Mergansers departing the lake
A few months earlier I had made the same journey in search of a Cuckoo on a similar start to the day only to see it change to black skies and torrential downpours, well a repeat prescription was on the cards. By the time I had got to Preston, black skies,heavy rain and brightly coloured rainbows festooned the air. Great for landscape, but not for what I was intending to do. However, as I arrived at Fleetwood the sun was shinning again, although large black clouds swirled around menacingly threatening to put a damper on the day.
The main thing was that the diver was still present. The bird was very obliging at times, as was the light, but getting both at the same time was a lottery, so alertness had to be the order of the day. The water was a bit choppy so mirror images were out of the question, but all told I had a pretty good day.

I nipped down to Rossall Point in the hope of a few sanderling, the tide was pretty full and I saw none, but half a dozen turnstone kept me busy, before I returned to the Marine lake to capture the diver in some late afternoon light.

And to finish a picture postcard view of Breezy Blackpool my no option holiday destination as a child.

I love M&Ms

Common Buzzard

Whooper Swan Preening

After a busy day around Southport I tend to work my way back and call in at Martin Mere. Even a brief visit can bring in a photo opportunity, and Sundays visit was no exception. After that I can take a variety of routes home with a keen eye for a Barn Owl maybe. Well not on this occasion although a lovely marked Buzzard put in an appearance.