On a somewhat brighter afternoon we drove to the west of the forest where there are more farms than moors.
Daffodils were emerging from the grass on Neaton green.
I photographed this sky and trees from Hawthorn Road, beyond which
the field flocked with Canada and Egyptian geese, infiltrated by a large cygnet from the
neighbouring grassland on which Jackie focussed before she pictured
the tree line and clouds behind the Canada and Egyptian geese.
Further towards Bransgore we parked beneath a Buzzard; the first four images in this gallery being mine, and the last three, Jackie’s.
Finally I photographed a rookery,
and Jackie produced an image of me in action on my perch.
This evening we dined on hot and spicy lemon chicken baked with varicoloured peppers, on a bed of the Culinary Queen’s wonderful savoury rice, with a side of tender green beans with which she drank Diet Coke and I finished the Merlot.
Oooh, dinner sounds divine, Jackie! I think the bird is a Raptor. Beautiful birds!
Lovely drive today!!
That’s a lot of geese.
There must be some very tasty morsels in that grass!
Wonderful images. It must be a wonderful experience so see these birds.
I’m jealous of your daffodils. Bird pictures are wonderful. Freezing cold here. Bright sunshine and no warmth.
Thank you very much, Pat
Beautiful photos, but I am mainly enchanted by the intricate branches against the sky.
Thank you very much, Dolly
You are very welcome, Derrick.
Your photos remind me of the poem by Mary Oliver, Wild Geese. Lovely captures Derrick.
Thank you very much, Arlene
Beautiful pictures.
Thank you very much, Bridget
Such a wonderful variety of excellent bird photos. But daffodils?! We had a snowstorm last night, and tonight it’s going down to about 9 F!
Thank you very much, Merril. Like many others I am struggling with WP over likes and comments. I hope you get mine
You’re welcome, Derrick. I did get yours, and thank you.
I wonder what the issue is with WP? Suddenly, my comments on your posts are showing up right away for me.
Too much tinkering I think
Probably.
Beautiful photos, Jackie and Derrick! Great title, too! Glad you sat on your perch and got some photos of the birds congregating…conventioning…gathering…flocking together… 🙂
Love the tree line and clouds photo! Oh! So lovely to see those daffodils
(((HUGS))) ❤️❤️
PS…“Every bird, every tree, every flower reminds me what a blessing and privilege it is just to be alive.” -Marty Rubin “Wherever there are birds, there is hope.” – Mehmet Murat Ildan
Thank you so much from each of us, Carolyn XX
Singlets and gorgeous gussies.
Thank you very much, Lindsey
An impressive flock of geese. We usually see and hear quite a lot of overwintering geese here, but it has been very quiet this year.
Thank you very much, Tootlepedal
Wow, daffodils!
Thanks very much, Crystal
We enjoyed such birds in Strasbourg. They were walking in front of us. Daffodils are beautiful. Is winter coming to an end ?
Thank you very much, Lakshmi. We are due another cold spell. Who knows?
I often wonder if birds get cold… and the daffodils, too. Our daffodils are just peeping up green spikes in spite nights well below freezing.
Thank you very much, JoAnna
Yeah … our birds were everywhere, Derrick … I was lucky to snap this shot of a Wattlebird zooming across the paddock
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0e2j-vkSfILRg2ZJ6DtsPISzA
Excellent, Ivor. Thank you very much
Thanks for introducing the Egyptian Goose; that’s something new.
The photo of you by Jackie. I’d love to see a shootout; with cameras at five paces – three, two, one. Shoot.
🙂 Thanks very much, John
Hot and spicy lemon chicken, yum, Jackie nailed it! I have never seen Egyptian geese before.
This is only my second time
Our ground is frozen, and January is famous (notorious) for severe weather. The temperature is minus 6 degrees for low and will reach a high of about 6 degrees at mid day. It will be at least end of March or early April before we see the green shoots of daffodils coming through. I am envious of the daffodils you already have.
Thank you so much, Zakiah. You are very cold
WHAT a lot of geese! I like seeing the daffodils too 🙂
Thank you very much, Anne
Beautiful photos of feathered friends and I am envious of your daffodils! We are supposed to get a wintry mix today.
Thank you very much, Eugi
You’re welcome, Derrick.
Daffodils! Yay! One of my favorites!
Thank you very much, M.B.
So many good catches in one day! Especially lovely to see the cygnet. Thank you for sharing it
Much appreciated, Rose
Daffodils in January!! Wow! I called into one of the nearby supermarkets today to collect a parcel. In the carpark, large piles of snow were still on the wide grass verge from where the snow plough had dumped it.
Thank you very much, Sue
PS. What a fabulous sight! There are so many geese!
Thanks again, Sue
Is nice to see the first signs of spring!
Thank you so much, Riba
How far you go to get such a lovely picture! It seems you have a lot of nature around you!
From just a couple of miles, usually less than ten. Thanks very much, Ilze
It’s nice to have such a lovely view around!
You and Jackie captured some fine bird photos, Derrick. I love the swan cynget among the geese.
Daffodil blooms! Our daffodils, the early ones, are up a few inches.
Thank you very much from each of us, Lavinia
Daffodils? Good news. Spring is coming.
Thank you very much, Brian
Are there usually daffodils in January? Seems early. Lovely bird photographs.
It is early. Thanks very much, Robbie
I thought it must be 🌷
The geese here have been in the fields, lots of them. Such a great sight.
Thanks very much, Gary
Another stunning set of photos.
Thank you very much, Andy
You’re welcome.
Amazing to see so many geese and ducks inland, together
Thank you very much, Sheree
It seems you two never run out of beautiful subjects to photograph.
Thank you very much from each of us, Alys