Friday 19 October 2012

IT'S BEEN A WHILE!!






Yes, it's been a while since my last post! This has been due to a number of reasons, mostly trivial and of no real consequence. Although I've been out and about visiting many  locations some close to home others further afield and in the process have taken lots of photographs, I find that when I start to sort through them I get very disheartened that they are not as good as I would like them to be (I guess I'm not alone in experiencing this feeling!!) and can't really get enthused about showing them off to other people. I also find it difficult to write the words to accompany them that, I think, will be enjoyable and interesting for people to read.

Anyway, now that's got the excuses out of the way here's a few photos from a couple of months ago that I think are worth sharing.

Back in August I had occasion to visit Hatfield House Country Show in Hatfield (unsurprisingly!)  Hertfordshire. I'm not sure that I entirely agree with the hunting, shooting, fishing way of things but it was close to where the mother-in-law lives and it was a good opportunity to let her of the leash for the afternoon to worry a few more people!!

One of the arena displays was a demonstration of falconry and after the show the birds were put on display so that people could get a better view.

So, after all that waffle, here's a few of the many photos that I took.



 American Bald Eagle





African Fish Eagle



European Black Kite



Mountian Cara Cara


23 comments:

ADRIAN said...

Nothing wrong with either the writing or the images.
I have never let posting rubbish affect my actions.
Great post...post again soon.

The Herald said...

Thanks Adrian, I'll try and make the effort to post a bit sooner next time...[;o)

Bob Bushell said...

Brilliant shots you have taken, brilliant.

holdingmoments said...

Stunning portraits Trevor.
Great to be able to get close to these beauties.

The Herald said...

Thank you Bob...[;o)


Thanks Keith, they sure were magnificent creatures and a nice sunny day provided some excellent light!...[;o)

FOREST SNAPPER said...

It's been a while, but well worth the wait.Great photos Trevor



peter

theconstantwalker said...

Wonderful images of these fascinating birds of prey Trevor... It must have been a great experience to see them so close.

grammie g said...

HI Trevor ..It is nice to see a post from you, but I do know what your talking about...Ya ..your probably thinking that women can't stop writing ; }
Your photos are always so awesome, and I dump a bunch of the ones I take,and compared to your's none of mine are any good LOL!
Great close ups , they are so clear, and close I worried a bit about getting bit!! ; }
Have a good weekend !
Grace

Roy said...

Some really interesting and stunning images Trevor.
I am going to see something similar next month with Raptors and owls.
I know exactly what you mean about photos. I struggle often to come up with something acceptable and different. I have taken to try a post one good image rather than a lot at one go at the moment. What doesn't help us is this time of year. We are between Summer and Winter birds and October and November always appear the poor months for sightings and activities, unless you go to a recognised location like Titchwell or somewhere like that.

The Herald said...

Thanks Peter...[;o)


Thanks Andrew, yeh, I really enjoyed it and spent a long time taking (lots of!) photos of these beautiful birds...[;o)


The Herald said...

Hi Grace, Oh! it's writing that women can't stop doing...I thought it was talk.....er,..so, thanks for the kind comments, I always enjoy reading your blog and seeing the photos, it's great to see what's happening across the pond! Yeh, I reckon the trash can is the busiest part of my computer...lol!

I stayed safe and didn't get too close, a long lens helped!

Enjoy your weekend!...[;o)

The Herald said...

Thanks Roy, I hope the weather is good to you next month!! They're great subjects to photograph, the Owls should be good.

Whatever the weather or time of year I still enjoy the nature watching, there's always something new and interesting to see...the photography? well I'll still keep snapping away, you never know one day I might get a good'n...[;o)

BlueShell said...

Hi there. Your photos are really great! and your words always appropriate! Do not ever worry about that! As you say: It is something that we all experience once in a while (I am so sorry...my English is not perfect I know! You have to forgive me.)
you see...sometimes I just imagine I'm writing to myself...And I have wonderful surprises...because I'm not worried about anything! Do you understand the idea?
Now...these fantastic photos...That's what they are: FANTASTIC!!! To me it is the opportunity so see these birds "so close"...and that is GREAT!
Thank You. My favorite is the "American Bald Eagle" - looks bad and dangerous ...LOL
Hugs
Isabel, aka
BlueShell(Portugal)

The Herald said...

Hi Isabel. Thank you so much for those very kind words, and perfect English as always.
That Bald Eagle sure puts a whole new slant on the saying 'looking mean with loads of attitude'..lol...[;o)

ShySongbird said...

These photos are wonderful Trevor! Really beautiful, so clear and sharp. Magnificent looking birds too.

I can't tell you how much your remarks resonated with me. I am always so dissatisfied with my photos, I don't think I have ever been really pleased with any of them and get so disheartened to the point of giving my blog up aItogether. I suppose the lousy Summer and lack of good light this year hasn't helped any of us of course. I often think it was more fun when I used to take binoculars out and just enjoy what I saw without trying to get decent photos. I also have the same problem with writing! I'm sure you have noticed I can waffle for England on comments ;-) but give me a blank blog post and I'm stuffed!! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoy all your posts and your mother-in-law comment had me choking with laughter :-)

ShySongbird said...

P.S. The more I see excellent photos like yours and Keith's and other's the more disheartened I get with my own!!!

The Herald said...

Thanks Jan, glad you liked the photos.

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one out there who suffers from 'bloggers block'! We can't all be good at everything, can we?..lol

A photography tutor once said to me that when you think that your photographs are not up to scratch just remember that you were there and 'saw the moment' when you pressed the shutter button, for other people seeing your photographs is a new experience! And I don't think I could go out without taking a camera (or three!) with me, the outing wouldn't be 'complete' without a photograph or two!!

So, I guess we'll just have to keep on doing what we keep on doing and continue to inflict our painstakingly composed blogs and sub standard photos onto anyone who'll look at them!!...LOL...[;o)

BlueShell said...

Hi...here I am again...and I'm forward to see more of your excellent work.
have a nice day!
(well, here it is raining for a week now...no way one can take a decent photo...LOL)

"I'll be Back"!
BShell

The Herald said...

Hi Isabel, welcome back and thank you for the kind comment. Yeh, not the best time of year for photography, we've had fog and mist here for the last week {:-[....but a colder and brighter spell is forcast for the next few days!
Take care...[;o)

Ruby said...

These are beautiful pictures Trevor! Your shots are always fabulous!!! Cheers, Ruby

The Herald said...

Ruby, thank you...[;o)

BlueShell said...

Hi,
Just popped by to wish you a happy weekend.
Hugs
Bshell

The Herald said...

Thanks Isabel, you too...[;o)