A Walk in the Park

Early yesterday evening, I walked down to the Ornamental Gardens in Singleton Park, where I thought I heard a familiar-sounding screeching coming from the woods. I followed my ears, and discovered the Ring-necked Parakeet sittting high in an oak tree, screaming and preening, opposite a large hole which it was no doubt hoping to use as a nest hole. Very little chance of the poor fellow attracting a female, I thought!

Anyway, I returned again this evening with my photographic equipment, hoping to capture some photos of this unusual bird. I saw the parakeet whizzing around with some Magpies a couple of times, but was unable to find him perched anywhere close enough for some pictures.

Once again, I had to use the everyday species for some photographic subjects. This Robin came to my picnic table to obtain some peanut crumbs, and took some off to feed his mate:

I liked the background on this backlit shot:

The backlighting on this willow catkin also appealed to me:

My 500mm lens doubled as a macro lens for this shot:

Wood Pigeons must be one of our most beautiful, and yet under-appreciated, birds. The tame ones in the park afford great opportunities for attempting to capture their beauty:

Ditto the Blue Tit. What a stunning-looking bird:

Finally, a shot of the burgeoning flower buds of a Horse Chestnut tree, rimlit by the now low-angled evening sunlight:

How lucky I am to have such a great green space to escape to right on my doorstep!