Tag: Cheshire

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Through an Opening

David M4 Comments

This is my contribution to the Cosmic Photo Challenge: Through an Opening.

I had a few ideas for openings for this prompt. As a bird photographer I have used a variety of openings from windows to holes in portable fabric hides (blinds). I decided to stick with one type of opening and settled on vehicle windows.

I decided to go with vehicle windows in part because I thought it would make the selection easier. Because the list of species is shorter than some of the other openings.

That was the theory, in practice I changed my selection at least four times before deciding to set some rules. Four photos, two bird species and two mammal species. Two species from Britain and two species from Canada.

 

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Through an Opening

A Fieldfare that spent part of the winter feeding on windfall apples in an abandoned orchard in Cheshire, England.

 

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Through an Opening

A Red Fox photographed from a vehicle as it hunted in a hay field in Cheshire, England.

 

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Through an Opening

Two American Avocets feeding on a slough in Saskatchewan, Canada. By the curve of their bills, a male in front and a female behind.

 

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Through an Opening

A Coyote watching the photographer from the edge of some bush in Saskatchewan, Canada.

 

Spring Eurasian Tree Sparrow

David M8 Comments

I had this written yesterday so a quick update. Our internet connection is back and seems to be working okay. It will be interesting to see if it continues working. I seem to recall a quick fix a couple of years ago that didn’t stay fixed and it was down for days the second time.

Throwback Thursday travels back to Cheshire in the late 1980s with a Eurasian Tree Sparrow feeding in an orchard at Faddiley, Cheshire, England.

Throwback Thursday: 2nd April 2020

 

Weekly Prompts: Wheels

David M10 Comments

This is my contribution to the Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: Wheels.

Having been digitising my slide archives for a few months I thought about some of the colourful wheels found on old steam traction engines and farm tractors from my years living in Cheshire, England.

 

Weekly Prompts: Wheels

Yellow wheels. A traction engine at a steam rally in Cheshire.

 

Weekly Prompts: Wheels

Red wheel detail. A steam traction engine wheel at a steam fair.

 

Weekly Prompts: Wheels

Orange wheels. A competitor in the Cheshire Ploughing Match in the 1980s.

 

Black and White Birds

David M2 Comments

When I read the prompt for Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Birds I considered giving this challenge a miss.

Having had bird photos published everywhere from field guides to calendars over the years there has been a few times when I was embarrassed having my name on the photo credit. Each time was when an editor/publisher converted a colour original into monochrome.

Then I thought about going with a small selection of black and/or white birds. Meaning mostly black and/or white plumage.

 

Cee's Black and White Photo Challenge: Birds

Snow Geese on autumn migration in Saskatchewan, Canada.

 

Cee's Black and White Photo Challenge: Birds

A Turkey Vulture making sure that the photographer is alive as it glides along the Lake Huron shoreline in Southampton, Ontario, Canada.

 

Cee's Black and White Photo Challenge: Birds

A section of a winter Gull roost takes flight over Hurleston Reservoir near Nantwich, Cheshire, England.

 

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Inside

David M14 Comments

Having spent a lot of my spare time digitising my slide archives over the winter the Cosmic Photo Challenge: Inside was rather well timed.

I now have digital copies of most of the nestbox interiors documenting the nesting cycle of various hole nesting species. So here’s the inside of three different nestboxes and three different species using them.

 

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Inside

An adult Eurasian Blue Tit feeding young. The adult has an unidentified insect in its bill.

 

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Inside

A male House Sparrow feeding young.

 

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Inside

Juvenile Great Tits begging for food having just heard an adult land at the nestbox entrance hole. Occasionally the adults will take a break from the constant feeding to feed themselves and do some feather maintenance. As a result, all the young are hungry when feeding resumes.