Barging out...

Photographed this morning, the image shows a barge approaching Boscombe pier carrying a skip, used to remove the debris from the demolition work. This process has to be carried out by sea as the neck of the pier is too weak to take the weight of heavy plant necessary for the job.

© 2007

Boscombe Manor...

It's not just the seafront at Boscombe that is seeing major re-development at the moment. Boscombe Manor is also undergoing major change.
The original building on the site was known as Boscombe Cottage, and was built in 1801. In 1849, Sir Percy Florence Shelly purchased the building, while Robert Louis Stevenson became a regular visitor after he had moved into the area.
The Manor building was also made use of as an HQ for the Home Guard until the end of the second world war.
The site was then used by Bournemouth College for many years, but in recent times has been allowed to fall into disrepair. In 2005, the building was sold to Charles Higgins Associates, who are in the process of re-developing the area to house two Doctor's surgeries as well as 14 apartments to the west of the main building.

© 2007

Hive of activity...

Work on the removal of the pier-head at Boscombe, Dorset started this week. The image, shot today shows a very different view of the pier, and the development of Boscombe Spa Village is now beginning to take shape in the foreground. The renovated pier entrance will soon be re-opened to the public, although the new T-section of the structure will not be completed until October.

© 2007

Swan on the Millpond...

The image, shot during early evening, shows a Mute swan on the Millpond at Throop. A Mill has been on this site for at least 921 years, as it is mentioned in the Doomsday Book, and at the time was valued at 14/6d. The current form of the Mill dates from 1890, but has not been in use for many years. It is one of the remaining 100 or so Mills that once operated on the Dorset Stour.

© 2007

The New Forest...

The week is going well from an imaging point of view, and the weather has stayed fine and bright. Foliage on the trees in the New Forest, Hampshire, is well advanced now with only a few species lagging behind.
Today, I took the opportunity to return to the forest to shoot some images of the Fallow deer that inhabit the area.

© 2007

Cormorant on the rocks...

So, I finally get to take a trip overseas: well, Brownsea Island in Poole harbour, Dorset. Shameful, really, as it's the first time that I've ever been there despite the fact that I only live several miles away. Better late than never.
The island has a colony of Red squirrel, but on this occasion they remained elusive. There were, however, many other species to photograph including a variety of roosters, as well as the famous peacocks. What did catch my eye was a juvenile Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), drying its feathers in the sun on a rock on the southern shore. These birds only acquire adult plumage over a period of two years.

© 2007

Little Egret...

Rising before dawn, I decide to head for the river in the hope of early morning mist. The overnight forecast was favourable for this, and I was not disappointed. After a few general shots of the rising sun through mist shrouded trees, my attention was caught by a brief flash of white. At first, I thought it was just a Black-headed gull, but closer scrutiny revealed it was a Little Egret (Egretta garzetta). The bird allowed me to approach to around 70 metres before flying up into a tree, which is when I got the shot. I only managed five frames before it dissapeared out of view. The image was made at 6:50am at Throop weir, on the Dorset Stour.

© 2007

Opinionated...

There was little evidence of any activity at Throop Millpond today, so I decided to try my luck at a different location: this time at Coy pond, situated on the outskirts of Bournemouth, Dorset. It's a location I haven't visited for some twenty years, and the local life seemed a bit sparse, but there were the seemingly ubiquitous Black-headed gulls, always at the ready to snatch a meal from other water fowl if the opportunity arose. The gull in the image was vocally defending its vantage point from all comers, attempting to drive off anything that approached too close, although not always successfully.

© 2007

Fishing out of season...

...obviously doesn't apply to Black-headed gulls on the Dorset Stour, today. I watched and photographed these birds for some 30 minutes, and was impressed by the 'hit rate' of their efforts, only occasionally being confused by floating dead leaves and the like. These birds can perform sudden changes in direction effortlessly, making framing in the viewfinder and focusing a rather hit or miss affair (I'm gonna need a faster lens).
The gull in the image is loosing it's winter plumage, and is taking on the feathers that give the bird its name.

© 2007

Web on the Web...

Shot during an early morning walk, the image shows the center portion of a spider's web. A heavy overnight mist has caused moisture to form on the silk strands, while surface tension does the rest, giving the appearance of glass beads threaded on a string.

© 2007

Nest maintainence...

Maintaining the nest for this pair of swans is an ongoing thing on the Dorset Stour. As the image shows, there are now at least two eggs to tend, which have been laid in the past few days. The nest mound is often re-used from year to year (as is this one). Although keeping a low profile so as not to unduly disturb the birds, I can photograph the progress of the eggs from a comfortable distance for the swans using a long telephoto lens, as the nest is built on an island in the river.

© 2007

Ball up a tree...

A visit to Throop Mill, on the Dorset Stour, at 6:30am today saw the countryside shrouded in mist. This is always accompanied with windless conditions until the sun rises high enough to burn the mist off. Atmospheric environments such as this gives photographs a monochromatic, two dimensional feel. That, coupled with a telephoto lens, produces abstract images. The colours are natural.

© 2007

Cygnus olor...

Another early start along the banks of the river Stour, Dorset this morning. The skies were clear at sunrise, but the wildlife was absent, apart from this nesting Mute swan. These swans build their nest from March to May, and although I saw no evidence of any eggs, I felt it wise not approach any closer than 20 feet. It is important not to stress the birds in any way, so I got my shots and quickly left.

© 2007