The Somerset Levels

It was freezing cold at Ham Wall, due to the 'Beast from the East', a Russian wind.  The Redwing managed to find berries, a Long Tailed Tit some green shoots and the Marsh Harrier was staking out a nest site.  The impressive machine was for grinding tree trunks to matchwood; it had finished its work and was due to be dismantled and transported elsewhere.  

Aerospace Museum Filton

On the way to Taunton, Ann and I stopped off at the new museum built to house the last Concorde to fly in Britain, Alpha Foxtrot.  Filton is where all the British Concordes were assembled and first flown from.  To me, used to a very different sort of Concorde (101 at Duxford) this airliner with seats, galleys and smart toilets was a real treat.  Entry was by the front passenger door, and the visitors exited on the midway over-wing door.  Note the ashtray - there is a sign at the galley prohibiting smoking during food preparation!  Films are projected onto the fuselage and the engine nacelles and there are four large information screens beside the aircraft.  The original control tower is still there, and the taxiways are still clearly visible on the ground outside.

Merely Fowl, Almost

Fowlmere on a still, misty sunless day where the shutter speed never exceeded 1/500th.  We had been watching a hind Fallow Deer for a while, when a stag appeared.  At the same time someone opened the door of the hide.  I drew his attention to the stag, but he was unable to latch the door quietly and it fled.  We saw a pair of Bullfinches and a Goldcrest.  The Dabchick was pushed away by another Dabbie, and sat cheeping forlornly on the other side of the water.  

Shiny Surfaces

A person who makes highly polished wooden articles posted on a forum about the specular reflections he was getting.  His home-made lightbox had two 45W lights about 4 inches from a thin tissue diffuser on either side.  I stressed that he had to move the lights back and add thicker diffusers. but he had it all on a table-top and there was no way to alter the light to subject distances.  Also, I think he was unsure about longer exposures.  I shot this bit of polished Treen.  The little hot-spot was from the front door, but using the grey cloth on the studio box as a blind, I cut that off.  I posted it with the exif data and the pic of the set-up to emphasis the need for lots of diffusion.  

Cambridge At Night

In town with the TPG.  Used to get my photo students to use a tripod to capture all three lights on a traffic lights lit at the same time.  That was in the days of film, when the difference between the intensities of the lights was hard to control.  The willow in No. 4 was lighted by a small torch during the 24 second exposure.

Kestrel Again

Photographed from very close at Fen Drayton Pits today.

Activities at Wicken Fen

Sadie and Meredith made nest boxes, went on a birdwatching walk, discovered what different birds eat and how they catch their food, and made feeders out of Cheerios and dates.