Wings over water.
The new Weekly Prompt Photo Challenge is Wings.
I thought about swarms of insects but decided that while you can see the insects you can’t see their wings while they’re flying in the swarm.
Then I thought about some of the photos from when I was a member of a small group of birders surveying and recording a winter roost of Gull species on an inland reservoir in south Cheshire, England.
A photo of Black-headed Gulls in winter roosting on Hurleston Reservoir at night. If something disturbs the birds on an edge of the roost they will fly to another side of the roost which is what they’re doing in the photo.
Snow Geese gathering.
The new Wits End Weekly Photo Challenge is Gatherings.
I thought of a few potential photos of wildlife gatherings for the challenge.
I decided to go with a shot of a flock of Snow Geese taking flight at Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area, Saskatchewan, Canada. One of the prairie locations used as a stop over on their way south for the winter.
Patchwork fields under clouds.
Monochrome Monday travels to Cheshire, England after some light snow has fallen on the Cheshire plain.
The snow shows the fields as a patchwork with some interesting clouds on the horizon. Taken from Bickerton Hill looking towards Chester and the River Dee estuary.
Long lasting technology.
The new Cosmic Photo Challenge is Technology.
The photo is of a lift bridge in the village of Wrenbury, Cheshire, England.
The lift bridge was designed by Thomas Telford, built in 1790 and is still in use today. It spans the Llangollen branch of the Shropshire Union Canal and carries traffic over the canal. When a boat comes along the bridge is lifted to allow the boat through.
Wrenbury Mill behind the bridge is now used by a company who rent canal narrow boats for holidays. Part of the hire fleet is visible on the right of the photo.
Parts of historic Chester.
The new Lens-artists Weekly Photo Challenge is History.
As a photographer who grew up in Cheshire, England my first thought was Roman Chester, or Deva Victrix as the Romans called it when it was one of the main army camps in Roman Britain.
Having mentioned the Romans I will start with a view of the Eastgate Clock. The clock stands on top of the Eastgate, the original eastern entrance to the Roman fortress. For this shot I am standing on the city walls on the south side of the clock.
Next a visit to Bridgegate. This gate was constructed in medieval times when the Roman city walls were extended to the south to follow the north bank of the River Dee. The gate then guarded the southern entrance to the town.
Now a visit to Phoenix Tower. This tower stands at the northeast corner of the city walls. Probably constructed in the 13th century it has also been known as the Newton Tower and King Charles’ Tower in the past. Sections of the city walls on this section are a mixture of Roman and Medieval.
Finally some interesting features inside the city walls. In the foreground is the Chester High Cross which has a long and complicated history dating back centuries but was moved to this position in 1975. Behind the cross are some of the Chester Rows, covered walkways giving access to first floor shops and businesses. The Chester Rows are unique and date back to medieval times.
