Wildlife - Thematic Photography

I'm always on the lookout for wildlife to photograph when I'm out. Quite often it's small creatures that catch my eye.

Caterpillar on the ground

It's the caterpillar that does all the work but the butterfly or moth that gets all the publicity.

If you are a birdwatcher there will come a time when it seems the bird is watching you.

A cormorant alongside the River Tees watching who goes by 

But you wonder how these fellows stay so clean as they approach the mud.

Drakes in their element

When it comes to colours, a snail stands out 

On a bramble leaf

Sometimes wildlife comes to you - like these two in the Michigan dusk.

Rocky and Bambi share a meal

There are even times when you don't have to leave your lounge to see scenes like these.

To see more wildlife check out the links at Carmi's Thematic-Photographic-349.

Pets - Thematic Photography

Having just completed the A-Z Challenge with 26 posts about dogs I must try to resist showing more. 

My morning walk continues to be productive for thematic shots.

Tortoiseshell Cat waiting to be petted

It never has to wait long.

Friendly Cat and Dog

The dog, Skye, appeared on the A-Z but as she and the cat get on so well together she deserved to be in the shot.

Even larger pets get pampered in our neighbourhood.

Inca in her coat

We are still getting frost at night so that's why she is all wrapped up in the morning sunshine.

Going back in time our children only had one pet who has appeared on Thematic Photography before. She was the escape artist extraordinaire.

Deirdrie, the hamster

She could hang onto anything - the curtains or

Especially a treat.

We may have had only the one pet but that did not stop us from looking after others.

Hoppity in Andrew's arms

His escapes were more spectacular than Deirdrie's as he could run much faster.

Guinea Pig

Who owned this I do not remember, nor can I recall its name.

It is also so easy for pets to change into pests. After all, it is just a question of an extra 's'.

A pesky squirrel

It's the wild ones that cause all the trouble.

At least it's eating the grass

And the problem with rabbits, tame or otherwise, is that they multiply.

Add caption

I''m not sure what this lot get up to now as they are over 30 years old.

Still if they look out of the window from their perch on top of a wardrobe they can watch another 'pet' feeding itself.

Shooting pets, or pests, can be a lot of fun provided you use a camera. To see what others have done follow the links at Carmi's Thematic-photographic-293.

A-Z Challenge 2013 - 'W' - Wagtail

My A-Z posts this year are based on my garden – flowers, animals, the birds and the bees, butterflies - with a bit of poetry thrown in. For some letters I am expecting to cheat somewhat –wishing they were here.

W – Wagtail, Wallflower, Weigela, Woodpecker, Wood Pigeon, Wren.

It seems strange to call this fellow grey, when really he is anything but,

 

Grey Wagtail on dock wall at the Tees Barrage

There is no better description of the one that has visited our garden that that by John Clare. He obviously studied this bird.

Pied Wagtail

 Little trotty wagtail he went in the rain,

And tittering, tottering sideways he ne'er got straight again,

He stooped to get a worm, and looked up to get a fly,

And then he flew away ere his feathers they were dry.

Our village is in North Yorkshire so I was pleased to find a verse in dialect that ended:

Folk ‘at’s tired gits churlish

An’ starts t’ owd World’s disorders—

Ther’d be less quarrels if they grew

Wallflowers I’ their borders.

Wallflowers

The wallflowers in our border however have set themselves; they appear every year no matter how many we pull up.

As I could not find another ‘W’ flower we grow I have had to make do with a shrub,

Weigela Bush (and Foxglove)

 I mentioned one species of woodpecker under ‘L’, but the most recent visitor is the Greater Spotted variety – a bird that moves so quickly it’s difficult to photograph. I wrote about it separately here.

Greater Spotted Woodpecker

  But the top bird in our garden and certainly the most numerous is this one in the sycamore tree.

 

Wood Pigeon

And in the bird bath which it thinks it owns.

 

Bird Bath (between Potentilla and the Rose)

Nesting in the hedge alongside the garden shed.

 

Nesting Wood Pigeon

Despite its presence the bird that, for its size, surprises you most with the strength of its song remains:

 

Jenny Wren

Small and pert she hops around

Hither and thither all over the ground

Speckled and neat her rich brown coat

Pale eyebrow and buff coloured throat

Poems:

• Little Trotty Wagtail – John Clare
• Wallflowers – Dorothy Una Ratcliffe
• Jenny Wren – Bumpsysmum

Photos:

• Pied Wagtail – Ken Billington – CC BY-SA 3.0
• Wren – Ken Billington – CC BY-SA 3.0

Watch the Birdie

One of the things I have done on and off for many years is to record the birds I see in my garden each day. This month I have seen linnets, siskins and a greater spotted woodpecker for the first time.

The challenge now is to photograph them - if I can. This week I succeeded with this at least.

Greater Spotted Woodpecker

Of course it would not cooperate and turn so that we could see the red at the back of its head and its red stomach that distinguishes it from the lesser spotted variety.

Not full frontal

At least in this second shot you can see some of the red on its stomach.

These shots were taken with a x40 Sony camcorder through a double glazed window. The sycamore tree is around 70 feet high; the bird is near the top and 30-40 feet from the window. It will fly at the slightest movement so there was no chance of getting closer.

Now I must hope that it comes back and 'poses' longer.

It is also difficult to photograph another more regular visitor, This is the best I've achieved so far, again through that same window at a distance of about 10 feet, but this time with a Lumix digital camera.

Goldcrest

This is Britain's smallest bird that we see every year in the conifer which would have been cut down by now if it weren't for him.