Creating a splash!

I constantly marvel at the energy, the power of fast moving water.  I have in my garden a small  –  very small  –  pond with a correspondingly small fountain.  The fall of the cascade measures in inches  –  18 inches at most  –  and yet the ferocity with which it churns up an otherwise still surface is amazing and creates its own sense of drama.

Geese at Pitsford

The pictures below are a further legacy of my visit to Pitsford Reservoir.  With a little assistance from Photoshop I have attempted to produce sketch-like images  of a group of Canada geese.

Click each picture to enlarge

Dune Grasses 6

See earlier Dune Grass images.

Abstract 188 ‘After the rain’

An abstract pattern derived from raindrops on Cotinus leaves.

Patterns beneath the surface

The bed of this stream provides a source for interesting ‘abstract’ images.

Click to enlarge

Patterns from Pitsford

Looking back through pictures from my visit to Pitsford Reservoir I was attracted to the patterns formed by groups of birds.  The two images below have been processed in a manner that draws attention to the ‘pattern  dimension’.  The patterns have not been manipulated, just isolated.

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Abstract 171 ‘Circus performer’

Natural seaweed pattern but with colours for costume added.

Fading light

It was November when we were in North Norfolk.   On most days, by teatime the light began to fade and within an hour dusk descended.

The pictures where taken at Walcott, on the Norfolk coast

Passing clouds

North Norfolk is noted for its flat landscape and its wide expanse of sky.  Along the coast the sea breezes produce a constantly changing skyscape.

Sometimes the mood is quiet, with clouds moving gently by.

Sometimes it is busy, with puffs of cloud scudding along, driven by the breeze.

And at other times there is a gathering together, an accumulation of cloud, in more ominous fashion.

Pitsford Reservoir 2

More pictures from the visit to the reservoir.

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A male mallard

A group of mallards, male and female

A pair of lapwings

Canada geese, feeding

A greylag goose

But I was particularly intrigued by this scene.  Can birds really read?  Have they accepted the sign literally without noticing the spelling mistake?  Are they waiting for their apples?

Pitsford Reservoir 1

Two days ago there was a break in this seemingly endless spell of wet weather.  The sun shone; the air was bright and crisp  –  it was an invitation to get out and about with the camera.  I decided to visit the local reservoir  –  a fortuitous choice.

Pitsford Reservoir at this time is a busy place.  It is a popular winter resort for geese, particularly Canada geese and Greylags.

Click each picture to enlarge

It was a time for basking in the sun and for ablutions.

This picture shows just a portion of a very long ‘convoy’ of geese, comprising both Canada and greylags.

Inevitably, there were many gulls.

At frequent intervals huge flocks of birds  –  I couldn’t identify them (perhaps someone can?), but there were more than 150 in each flock  –  appeared from ‘nowhere’ and circled above the reservoir.

Simply seaweed 1

Dune Grasses 5

See the earlier Dune Grass images.

Fly past

Pelargonium in sunlight

The low angle of the winter sun backlit the pelargonium, tracing the pattern of the veins in its leaves.

Meditation for the New Year

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