Relaxed Rooksbury

With Spring officially here and some scorching weather descending upon the UK last week, I took a trip down to Rooksbury Mill on friday lunchtime, basking in gorgeous sunshine. The normal dark and dingy lakes now crystal clear and as calm as a millpond. Half a dozen pairs of Tufted Duck & Gadwall are paired up on the smaller Barlows lake, and joined by 4 outcast Mute Swan Cygnets. The Grey Heron was also stood in his/her normal spot beside the River Anton.

Mr & Mrs Gadwall

Mrs G in a bit of a flap 

Gadwall Female

Grey Heron

The sound of the A303 was drowned out by the gorgeous chorus of singing birds, most noticably Chiffchaff and Wren. Whose song really seems to become more prominent and noticable at this time of the year, well I think it does, I also have found it extremely hard to get a decent photograph of a Wren in the past, so I couldn't believe my luck when this little fella landed in-front of me and started singing his/her heart out.

Wren

Mid Song

Taking the short path over the streams out on to the board walk and the bigger Mill lake, I spotted a couple of Coot milling around near the lake edge, and the Great-crested Grebe out in the middle of the water, with the sun positioned perfectly behind me, and the shadow from the trees behind hiding any of my own, I crept down and sat on the bench by the waters edge, and waited.

Great-crested Grebe 

Great-crested Grebe

Great-crested Grebe

Monster Coot? 

This part of the lake seems to be adorned with surface weed, which Im guessing is the main attraction for the Grebe whence feeding, just a pain for photography as it was preventing some cracking reflections. Another thing that really did surprise me as when the Grebe swam over next to a Coot, 

in-comparison it looks a lot smaller, now for some reason I've always thought of a Grebe in all its elegance to be somewhat one of the bigger waterborne birds in the UK. I now feel a bit stupid, and like I don't really pay attention to the species I am photographing at all.

Also I've been thinking more and more lately, how my photography has kind of hit a wall, I feel im now pretty proficient with my camera skills, but need to change the composition and how I construct an image, so Im gonna try to make a more conscious effort to make the subjects shot a little more engaging mainly by getting lower or more on the same level. Also maybe in the past I've relied heavily on editing to boost the image, I think a little more natural look and feel maybe more suitable