Jenny's 52 for 2010 - Flora & Fauna in an English Country Garden - Week 26 - HALFWAY!

Well, this week has been better than last week already for photography.

I don't know the collective noun for long-tailed tits, but it should be called a "flutter". They don't visit very often but when they do, there are lots of them and they are never still. In the past I have had lots of problems trying to get decent photos and they are one of my favourite birds - just little fluffy bundles with a long tail. They were fluttering all over the feeders in the garden today and I managed some slightly better photos than usual.

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It is such a pity that it's face is rather hidden on this one, but I am including it because it is a very typical pose and encapsulates my "fluffy bundle" description.

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Finally, as it was getting dark, I had put my camera away when I saw 3 roe deer on the front lawn. Out came the camera again. It was far too dark for decent shots but I set it to ISO 1600 and managed one passable shot. Not technically brilliant but it shows beautifully a roe deer buck with its velvet antlers.

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Jenny
 
Well - I've thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the posts in your 52 so far - well done!

Phil
 
I'm really enjoying your thread Jenny :clap:

And for someone who is 'rubbish' at landscapes you have produced a cracker. Moody but interesting and a great composition.

As for your wildlife pictures, I'm so jealous :D

And as for your 'not very good' Roe deer in velvet it is such a lovely shot, high ISO or not. You've got the focus spot on :clap::clap::clap:
 
Thanks Phil and Jill for your comments.

Jill, my main problem is lack of time. I don't plan most of my shots. I happen to see something interesting in the garden and grab the camera. Most of my photos are taken through the window, so that is an uphill struggle for a start. These wild creatures are very nervous and do not want to pose, so there is no time to think things through before shooting. So, any good shots are really a matter of luck!

Jenny
 
I have another image to add this week. There was the most spectacular sunrise this morning. This photo was taken at exactly the same time and location as last week's but with slightly less zoom. The red colour was completely natural. I did not enhance it at all.

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Red sky in the morning ... shepherds warning. Yes, it did rain this afternoon.

Jenny
 
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Wow! At this rate you'll have 52 by the end of February! ;)
But please keep them coming, I'm really enjoying this thread.

I really love your first landscape - absolutely beautiful.
And a stunning sky in the second one, but the buildings (I think that's what they are) on the LHS of that one look just a little bit odd. Not sure if it's the way the sun's catching the roofs or something. :thinking:

The Long-tailed tits are my pic of the bunch though. Absolutely gorgeous little birds and really well shot.
(although velvety deer deserves a mention too)
 
Thanks for your comments, Sarah.

The problem is that I have trouble making my mind up about things, so end up posting multiple photos.

Yes, they are buildings on the left and I am loathe to clone them out because they are part of the scene. The one to the left is the white end wall of a farmhouse and the one to the right of that is the roof of an outbuilding. I can see that without knowing what they are, they probably seem a bit odd.

Jenny
 
Jenny, some lovely images of the birds, superb shot on the Green Woody... lovely colours in the sky/clouds too. How close is that deer ?
 
Thanks, John. The roe deer was no more than 10 metres away but it was taken through the window and it was pretty dark. I took it with my 170-500mm at around 200mm but even at 1600 ISO Av only managed 1/8 sec. So, it was really lucky that it was reasonably sharp. All the rest that I took were hopeless. It has been cropped slightly.

Jenny
 
Your shots get better and better Jenny. I wasn't a great wildlife photo fan but you're inspiring me to pay more attention and visit the wildlife forum. Shame a few starlings and blackbirds are the best we see around here. The woodpecker is fantastic, poor thing.

And great landscape shots (I hate landscapes :LOL:) especially week 3.

Keep up the great work and looking forward to following you through the whole year :clap:
 
Thanks for your comments, Darren. I have to admit that I am sure there are more than just blackbirds and starlings around your way. I had no idea what was in my garden until I started really looking. Take a look yourself and you will probably be pleasantly surprised.

The RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch is on this weekend. You don't have to have a garden to participate. Just spend an hour in your local park and make a note of all the birds you see during that time. You will be surprised. Usually I see between 13 and 16 different species in that hour.

Glad you are enjoying my thread.

Jenny
 
Hi Jenny, :wave:

Truely stunning Jenny...the landscapes are beautiful "winter morning" is my pick, there are so many different layers captured, it is amazing.
Forgive me Jenny my eyes are playing tricks can't decide if you have a capture a rather big feather bird or a plane?

Your bird and deer shots are beautiful (you have feel sorry for the Woody).

can't wait for week 5 :)
 
Thanks, Graham. Glad you like them.

It is definitely a bird that you can see. Probably only a wood pigeon. There were lots flying backwards and forwards that morning and it was a bit early for the buzzards. If it was a plane, it would be in trouble. You can see the vapour trails where the planes usually fly.

Jenny
 
doh :bonk:

I forgot to add "Model" in front of plane. - Thanks Jenny
 
I am thinking that maybe I should be doing a 365 instead of a 52. However, I know that with all the commitments that I have I would not be able to complete a 365. So, I guess the next best thing is a 52 plus extras!

I am really ahead this week. I planned my week 5 last week when I saw that the snowdrops were just starting to flower. After spending a lot of time on my hands and knees in the mud, I got what I thought were a decent set this week. As usual I cannot decide which I prefer, but I think this is my favourite.

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These snowdrops are hardy little things. I first saw them in bud before the snow but after 2 weeks buried under 8 inches of snow, they have survived and burst forth - the harbinger of spring :)

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Finally, I was trying to get a photo with the sun shining through the flowers. I don't think it worked particularly well.

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After getting these shots, imagine my surprise when I walked into the kitchen this morning for a cup of coffee when I saw this guy cleaning up under the bird feeders. Although the conditions for photographs were not perfect (he was in deep shade with bright sunlight lighting up the lawn behind him), I thought I had to include them because these opportunities do not happen often.

I grabbed the camera and although it had the wrong lens on it, I knew I could not mess around changing lenses. So, I'm afraid he was only 3 metres from my kitchen window but I took these, through the window with the 170-500mm.

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This is a different roe buck from the one I posted last week. You can see his little antlers are just pushing through.

There have been a lot of deer around this week. One of the benefits of a hard winter - the wildlife will take food wherever they can get it including on my back lawn in broad daylight :):):)

Jenny
 
Really enjoying your thread. 52+Extras is a good idea!

Amazed by the bird shots to be honest. You've got some corkers there!

Ian.
 
jollyjack said:
Fantastic images again Jenny, i wish i was so close to nature like you seem to be, looking forward to another weeks worth from you
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Thanks, Jon. Your comment about being so close to nature is interesting. I don't live in a town but I don't live in a remote location either. One of my aims with my web site and blog is to open people's eyes to the wildlife around them.

We have some amazing wildlife in the UK and you really don't have to go far to see it. Most people just don't notice it. If you have a garden and take a really close look, you will probably be quite surprised by what you find.

Nighttime is the most amazing. It took me 20 years to figure out that we have badgers walking past the house every night! I am hoping that I will get a photo of one of them later in the year for my 52.

Jenny
 
What a lovely idea to stick to the garden, I love the mosses and the deer photos and I like your avatar photo of the bluebells, look forward to seeing more of you photos. I heard the drumming of a woodpecker yesterday the sound of Spring, a photographers paradise.

P.S Silly me, I only veiwed page one and now I see the bird photos and the sunset, fantastic.
 
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Wow, Jenny, you've been so busy while my back was turned. :D

Where to start????

Gorgeous, cheeky-looking LTTs - fabulous.

Fluffy bundle - fabulous.

Roe deer in velvet - fabulous (sod the ISO - it's fabulous, although I think I'd crop the wall out)

Red sky in the morning - stunning (I could say 'fabulous' all the way through, but I wouldn't want you to think I hadn't given due consideration to such lovely work).

The 3 roe buck shots - the first one looks as though he's checking out your camera and deserves a caption: " ... and what lens are you using there, my dear"! The second one is stunning. The colours and bokeh are perfect. The third one would also be stunning if it weren't for the other 2 (and that's not a criticism!). I love the way he's daintily lifting his hoof. :love:

Snowdrops: Each shot just improves on the one before it! The detail in the petals in #2 is beautiful and the composition of #3 so eye-catching.

Jenny - I can't wait for next week's shots. :clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

Jean
 
I was enjoying your thread very much...... until............................






I saw those Roe shots!










Now I am loving it(y) Keep em coming.........please:D
 
Shirley, many thanks for your comments. Glad you like the photos.

Wow, Jean. So many superlatives. Thank you. It is the animals that I have to thank for giving me so many opportunities during the last couple of weeks. I have a feeling that the next ones may be a bit boring!

Sawman, thank you. That is praise indeed. I love the deer and I am so lucky that there are so many of them at the moment. Every year at this time, they seem to congregate here. I am not complaining! However, sometimes they disappear for weeks on end.

Jenny
 
Wow!!!! You really will be heading for a 365 before long Jenny.
Keep it up though, because these shots are fantastic. You are so lucky to have all that wildlife in your garden.

Snowdrops : Simply beautiful. I think you're right with the one you picked as your favourite. The DoF and detail work beautifully.
As much as I like no.2, the composition with that mirror-image type effect from the two flowers isn't quite working for me. No.3 comes close though. The wider angle makes it a very different shot to No.1 and I think you've done a great job capturing the sunlight.

Roe Buck : Would never have guessed that they were taken with the "wrong" lens or that they were through glass. Absolutely gorgeous all 3 of them and the focus on the eyes is spot on :clap:
 
Thanks for your comments, Sarah. Yes, I am lucky to have so much to photograph in the garden. I don't get out and about a great lot and very little spare time, so the garden gives me a perfect opportunity for photographs. That is why I chose this theme.

Jenny
 
This week I have been very undecided about what to shoot. I thought I would take a backup photo in case nothing else worked out. Here it is...

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This is just some common orange lichen on a mossy twig. The little mound with the lichen is about 1 cm high. However, there is an added bonus to this shot which I did not see when I took the photo - a little insect on the left which was like a tiny grasshopper.

I have also been experimenting with bird shots, but am not very satisfied with any of them. This was about the best. It is a very ordinary pose, but I rather like the lighting coming from the back left which highlights his/her whiskers.

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Finally, the deer have been back in force but I was rather concerned that one of them seems to have a problem with its back. On this photo you will see a white patch on the back of the one on the left. When I zoom in on the full size image, it looks as if the fur has been pulled out. This does not look like normal moulting. Usually, when they are losing their winter coat, the fur comes out in little tufts and makes them look quite scruffy. This is a very large patch probably about 3 inches long. I cannot imagine what has happened to it.

The deer on the right seemed to be making quite a fuss of the other one - lots of licking and nuzzling. Sorry, I did not post this for the quality of the photo. They were in the field next door behind the fence, so impossible to get a decent shot, but I thought it was interesting.

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Constructive criticism is very welcome.

Jenny
 
Hi Jenny, nice to see an update and to read your words.

The lichen shot doesn't do a lot for me, but it is a good shot nonetheless. I wouldn't have spotted the insect if you hadn't mentioned it. Too much orange!

The blue tit is lovely. It looks a tad soft, but again, I doubt I'd be fast enough to even catch him, let alone figure out focussing. It's not criticism really considering the fact I think it's great photo.

You were handicapped by fences with the deer shot, so the composition is understandable. Maybe cropping some of the green out to turn it into a "widescreen" shot might work? Might not though.

Shot of the week (for me) is the Blue Tit. We sit and watch them through the bedroom window in the morning and considering how fast they move I've always shied away from getting the camera out because I'm pretty sure I'd just end up with blue blur. He looks quite majestic!

Ian.
 
Thanks for your comments, Ian.

Yes, the blue tits never stay still so it's an uphill struggle. It was taken through the window, so is sure to be a bit soft. Too cold to spend much time outside this week.

The deer shot is a bit of a right-off but I included it because I thought it was rather touching. There seemed to be a lot of affection between them, but maybe my imagination.

Jenny
 
Three good shots but my eye is drawn to the colours and forms on the lichen - really nice!

Phil
 
Another busy - and fruitful week, Jenny. :)

Funnily enough I shot some common orange lichen yesterday in the forest, but I'm glad I didn't post it because yours is much, much better. (y) And I didn't know what it was called - so thank you for that, too!

Your blue tit is gorgeous and I agree the light lifts it out of the ordinary - well out of the ordinary. :clap::clap:

Another lovely deer shot! Could the white patch be an injury from barbed wire/getting caught up in something? At least it doesn't look infected, and hopefully the fur will grow back.

Jean
 
jeangenie said:
Another busy - and fruitful week, Jenny. :)

Funnily enough I shot some common orange lichen yesterday in the forest, but I'm glad I didn't post it because yours is much, much better. (y) And I didn't know what it was called - so thank you for that, too!

Your blue tit is gorgeous and I agree the light lifts it out of the ordinary - well out of the ordinary. :clap::clap:

Another lovely deer shot! Could the white patch be an injury from barbed wire/getting caught up in something? At least it doesn't look infected, and hopefully the fur will grow back.

Jean
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Jean, thanks for your comments. Yes, I think the white patch on the deer is from something like barbed wire. I got a closer shot and it is like a huge tear starting very narrow and opening out. You are right that it does not look infected.

Jenny
 
Well, this has been another difficult week. The weather has been lousy and not good for photographs. I have tried photographing all sorts of things this week with little success. The two that I have chosen are the best of the bunch.

I have called the first one "Survivor". This little pansy has survived temperatures of -11C and 8 inches of snow this winter and I did not even plant it!

Several years ago, when I realised that the deer eat everything pretty in the garden, I thought I would be very clever and put some pots just outside the window of my office. I filled these with various pretty flowers including pansies. My theory was that the deer would not come right up to the window to eat them. Wrong :( The flowers were all neatly chopped off and eaten - at night of course when I was not around.

I have since given up planting pretty flowers. However, the pansies seeded themselves and pop up every now and then until they get eaten again. Well, this winter, this little pansy made an appearance and has obviously been overlooked by my furry friends. Hence "Survivor"...

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The next one, I am not sure about. The three muskedeers were here again the other morning at around 8am. It was fairly dark and dull but I got the camera out anyway (high ISO again) as they were gradually munching their way onto the back lawn. Our garden is on a steep slope so I could just see their heads above the slope. I was waiting for them to move up the slope when they heard the guy next door and looked up (with a mouthful of breakfast) before running off.

So, this looks a bit odd, but it is not a vignette. That is all I could see of his head and the blurry bit at the bottom is the hill. I thought I would post it because it is a bit different.

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I am hoping for better photography weather next week.

Jenny
 
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Enjoying the photographs and the stories... Our chickens and ducks are like your deer. They eat everything pretty and nothing keeps them out.

Ian.
 
Harlequin565 said:
Enjoying the photographs and the stories... Our chickens and ducks are like your deer. They eat everything pretty and nothing keeps them out.

Ian.
Click to expand...

Glad you are enjoying them, Ian. It would be impossible to keep chickens here without a very fox-proof pen. I have seen foxes around here taking pheasants, hens and baby pigs :( On a couple of occasions we found half-gnawed pigs on the lawn. The farmer up the road has now stopped keeping pigs.

I am really annoyed that I have never managed a decent photo of a fox, though.

Jenny
 
Love the pansy - crisp and delicate - beautiful background colours & blurring.

Phil
 
Thanks, Phil and Nick for your comments. Yes, the pansy came out quite well. The background colours are actually the wall of the house and another terracotta pot which gives it a rather warm feel. It was not warm at all. In fact it was freezing cold and very grey but I bounced some flash onto it and it really brightened the photo.

Jenny
 
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