As dramatic events take place in Russia, I'll take you back to quieter times around glorious Pooley bridge.
Firstly, when we arrived at Ullswater and I stalked Red Squirrels, I would explain to perplexed locals why I was creeping around with a long lens. Not that I was a paparazzi member, intent on photographing people in flagrante or otherwise, but instead I was attempting to find elusive Red Squirrels. I was surprised at their off handed indifference. 'Oh, yeah,' they would say, 'I saw them twice this morning.'
My jaw would drop, as all television programs I watch say how elusive Red Squirrels are, staying clear of humans, and how hard they are to spot, let alone photograph. Ha! No more elusive than wild Grey Squirrels, as I was to realise.
I was further bemused, when I mentioned we have loads of Grey Squirrels down south. They would get all excited and ask for further information.
I guess it's what you are used to.
OK, enough waffle, on with the show with a rather mundane Mallard drake having a bath in river Eamont.
I have my R7 set to fully electronic shutter. The question is, have we got distortion of the left wing caused by the electronic shutter?
Not sure. My R7 was set to Program (P) mode, and the shutter speed was 1/1000 second. Would this 'distortion' have disappeared if I'd used shutter priority (Tv) with its shutter speed set to 1/3200?
Not much else appeared on our return journey, except that we did see a weasel. Somewhat fleetingly, as it was in dense verge vegetation. First weasel my other half has ever seen.
When we got back to where we were staying, I spied this birdie in a bush some 50 yards away. I think it is a Greenfinch. However, my bird recognition skills are on par with my ability to identify modern pop bands i.e. virtually nil.
The finch was spooked got spooked by this Goldfinch flying in. The Goldfinch is really flying.
There were loads of Goldfinches around.
For those who like Robins
Now the UBB (Unidentified Brown Bird). I think it is a Dunnock. The beastie was a fair distance away.
All further photos cropped.
These were all over the place. At first I thought they were a gimmick, something unusual to catch the attention of visitors to get them to drive more carefully. Not so, as we were to discover. We saw a rather flattened Red on one of the local roads.
Taken early in the morning, the squirrel feeder topped up by PDRSG
By evening the light conditions were gloomy, with a dirty great big ugly black cloud sat over us - but with glorious sunshine to the north of Pooley Bridge. Argh!
These are the best of a bad lot.
I had spotted two Red squirrels they day before, much to my partner's chagrin. She was elated when three Red squirrels turned up. I reckon they were a mother and two kittens. They kind of kept together.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.