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

Salix ageyptiaca...

The arrival of spring seems to have slowed down, at least along the banks of the lower reaches of the Stour river, Dorset. What promised to be an early start this year seems to have now got in synch with the rest of the season. Some of the trees along the riverbank are only now producing displays of blossom like the example here.
The image is of Musk Willow catkins (male).

© 2007

Vernal Equinox...

Today is officially the first day of spring, but here in southern UK the temperature is only 7 degrees. Couple that with the wind chill factor, and it feels like 3 degrees. However, the skies are clear and there are signs that nature is beginning to awaken, with blossoms on trees already evident.
The River Stour, which runs through Dorset before it enters the sea, was alive with waterfowl this morning, making photographing the birds easy.
The image is of a Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

© 2007

Discarded cola bottle...

These things are all over the place, polluting the beaches everywhere you go. Some of the more remote stretches of coastline I visit are clogged with this man-made junk.

Pier renovation...

This image shows the scaffolding being dismantled from the entrance to Boscombe pier early today.

© 2007

Deckchairs...

The scaffolding surrounding the entrance to Boscombe pier was being removed early this morning, suggesting that at least part of the renovation was now complete, although this only appears to be external areas.
A member of the beach office staff informed me that the pier head removal by barge was due to start late April or early May, so images like the one here will soon become a thing of the past.

© 2007

Cat's Squirrel...

The weather in my neck of the woods promises to be better than of late this weekend, so today I'm taking the opportunity to shoot some images of early spring. The Grey squirrel is not native to this country, nor do they hibernate: but they are prominent in woodlands, having ousted the indigenous Red squirrel to only a few isolated locations. One such place is Brownsea island in nearby Poole harbour: a location I hope to visit during the coming months in search of the elusive Red.

© 2007

There is no dark side of the Moon, really...

This evening, most of the planet witnessed a total Lunar eclipse, and in southern UK the skies remained clear for the event. The image was made at 21:50 hrs from the coast of Dorset, and is 92 minutes into the eclipse.

© 2007

Spring has arrived...

Although there were signs of an early appearance at the beginning of February, it's taken until this week for the daffodils to make the familiar display that heralds the arrival of spring. The fact that it has been a warm winter in southern UK is born out by insect activity, with several species being observed earlier than usual.

© 2007

Ever changing...

Whilst I was photographing the progress of the renovation of Boscombe pier entrance today, it struck me how much the appearance of the seafront had changed since the start of the century.
The image shows the juxtaposition of the old with the new.

© 2007

A day too late...

Whilst photographing the progress of a local housing project, an eye witness told me that yesterday, various items were washed ashore from the beached container ship MSC Napoli. The ship was run aground on January 21st in Lyme bay, Dorset, whilst being towed to Portland harbour, and it took this long for articles to be carried by the tide to Boscombe beach. Apparently, there were plenty of 'scavengers' picking up anything of use, plus a certain amount of oil and dead sea birds.
The image is of the Boscombe Spa Village building site.

© 2007

The changing skyline of Boscombe...

The work on Boscombe Spa Village continues, along with the rest of the seafront development. The vandalised promenade shelter has been repaired in the past week, and the renovation of Boscombe pier entrance is now in an advanced state.
The image shows the crane that is now in place on the village site. Also visible is part of the drainage system which was laid recently.

© 2007

Spring is on its way...

Spring is certainly on its way here in Dorset. I've already seen a Red-tailed Bumblebee, and the daffodils are threatening to put in an early appearance this year (global warming?). Photographed at a coastal location, the British Robin (not to be confused with the Robins wintering here from Scandinavia-a duller red-breast by comparison) is still much in evidence, but will become less common during the summer months as they start to moult.

© 2007

Two steps forward...

...one step back. Despite the £8 million being spent on improvements to the seafront at Boscombe, Dorset, there are those whose purpose in life, it seems, is to keep things as they are. The image, shot just after sunrise today, shows one of the beach promenade shelters that has been burnt out by some mindless idiot(s) during the past week. Although actions like this are not common in the area, it does highlight the struggle that locals will face once the re-devlopment is complete.


© 2007

Boscombe Spa Village development...

Although work has been continuous on the Honeycombe chine site since October, not much has been visible to the casual observer as foundations and drains are laid. Only now is it possible to see progress, although there is still little sign of the houses and apartments as the project takes shape.

© 2007

Lifeguard station...

Things are beginning to happen at a rapid pace on the beach front at Boscombe, Dorset. The lifeguard station in the photograph was not there this time last week. The work on the artificial reef is due to begin in March, creating waves up to 4 metres high. The effect of the reef on the environment is calculated to be neutral, and marine life is expected to benefit. The improved surfing conditions should bring a further 10,000 visitors a year to the area.

© 2007

Pier renovation begins...

Scafolding is being erected against the entrance of the grade 2 listed building that is the entrance to Boscombe pier, Dorset. The beach replenishment in the area is now complete and the pipe that delivered the sand from the off-shore dredger is being dismantled. Work on the pier head, which is to be demolished and removed by barge as part of the renovation, will begin in March.

© 2007

Contre Jour...

Today is the last day of the pumping ashore of sand on to Boscombe beach, after which the crews will concentrate on the areas adjacent to Bournemouth pier. The image, shot at Portman ravine, Dorset, illustrates the harsh treatment that the plant is subjected to during the replenishment schedule as bulldozers operate in what is effectively the sea.

© 2007

Beach replenishment...

Despite unpredictable weather during the past few weeks, the beach replenishment operation along the Dorset coast at Bournemouth is only a few days behind schedule. The image, shot on the last day of 2006, shows the new material being pumped ashore at Boscombe pier. The bulldozers, which are constantly driven in salt water, are not able to be protected from the corrosive environment in any way. The grinding action of the sand on the sprockets for the tracks, and the strain on the gear-boxes give the lifespan for one of these machines of around 3 years, after which they are cleaned up, re-painted and sold on. They cost around £250,000 each when new!
The refurbishment of Boscombe pier entrance, a grade 2 listed building, is due to commence mid January.

© 2007

My return to cyberspace...

Just a message to any readers. I've finally managed to solve my internet problems with my (former) ISP (not to mention any names, but it rhymes with Blorenge). These people would just not admit that their service would not support the use of Mac computers, despite their assurance that "it will work...". It took several hours of phone calls: being pushed around numerous departments, kept on hold for excessive periods and basically lied to before I get to speak to someone knowledgeable, who then admits that my new computer is "too advanced" (his words) for them to support.
This run-around and final severance of my subscription has prevented me from making any posts recently, but this is to be rectified in the near future. In the meantime, Happy New Year to any listeners.

© 2007

Beach replenishment...

Pipes that will carry sand onto the beach at Bournemouth, Dorset were
delivered before sunrise today. The sand, part of the beach replenishment
program, will be dredged up from east of the Isle of Wight at a licensed
location, and then pumped ashore. This process, weather permitting, will
begin on Wednesday 13th December, and should be completed by the end
of January 2007.

© 2006 

Standing by the river...

Today, I took delivery of a Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 lens. It's an optic that
I've had my eye on for some time, mainly for its ability to deliver very
shallow depth-of-field. It arrived at 7:20 am, and forty minutes later
I was prowling the banks of the river Stour, Dorset, looking for suitable
subjects to point my lens at.
The image is of Teasels, photographed just downstream from Throop weir.

© 2006 

Into the storm...

There was heavy rain before dawn in Dorset this morning, but the cloud had
broken enough by first light to entice me to get my camera bag and venture down by
the seaside. It's been raining here for the best part of a week, although
not continiously; mostly heavy showers, and although the rain threatened
to start again at any moment it held off long enough to get some dramatic
images with dawn light.
The image of Boscombe pier was made just before the heavens opened
up again, but by now I had the shots I was after.

© 2006

Cold start...

The clear skies over southern England gave way to crisp dawn light,
but despite this there was no frost, so the images I had in mind as I
left the house at 6:30am did not materialise, and the macro lens
stayed in the bag. The image, shot at Hengistbury head, Dorset was
made shortly after 8am today using a 300mm telephoto lens.

© 2006

Remembrance day...

An old lady reads the cards on the wreaths and crosses laid at the
Cenotaph, Bournemouth, after the Remembrance day
service.
Despite the fact that people were there to remember those who
made the ultimate sacrifice, there was a man remonstrating with
police about the lack of nearby parking space for his motorcycle,
and how he had to walk further than usual to attend because roads
were closed off for security reasons. It makes you wonder.

© 2006

Wick fields...

Fog was present along the Dorset coast at dawn today, so an early
start beckoned. This time of year can throw a whole variety of
weather conditions at the photographer, and it is wasteful not
to take advantage of what nature brings.
The image was made on Wick Fields between Hengistbury head
and the river Stour at Christchurch. Although shot in colour, the
mist mutes the hues to give a monochromatic feel.

© 2006

Autumn frost...

Southern England has been enjoying high atmospheric pressure
conditions this week, which has resulted in the first frosts of the
autumn. The image was made early this morning at Hengistbury
Head, Dorset, and has been manipulated in Photoshop.

© 2006

Hengistbury head....

With the hours of daylight dwindling rapidly each day, and the sun lower in the
sky, the light just gets better all the time. The image was made  an
hour after sunrise today, looking toward the headland of Hengistbury head.
The site is internationally known for its Iron Age settlement and double-dyke 
defense system. Originally some distance inland, it became surrounded by
water when the sea broke through the chalk ridge between the
Needles on the Isle of Wight and Old Harry rocks on the Isle of Purbeck some
10,000 years ago (just before lunch).

© 2006

Honeycomb Chine...

The image shows early signs of the development of Honeycomb chine,
near Boscombe pier. The car park in the left foreground is being dug
up in preparation for the building of apartments and penthouses.
The artificial surfing reef plans were approved by the council last month,
but is not expected to be ready until autumn 2007, with the shops,
restaurants and other facilities due for completion in the summer of 2008.

© 2006

The last day of September...

Overnight heavy rain made way to early morning light for
this image of Boscombe pier. There is evidence of the
beginning of the re-development of the area, with the removal
of beach huts in front of Honeycomb chine, and the car park
is now out of commission. Talking to surfers, the opinion is that
the surf reef will be started next year, but as yet there is no
sign of work on the pier.

© 2006

Morning rush hour...

Today I decided on a change of pace and visited Christchurch
harbour, Dorset. Apart from the ducks, the place was deserted,
and the early morning mist muffled any distant sounds of modern
life. As soon as the sun was above the horizon the mist began to
burn off.
The image was made at the same time as Monday morning rush
hour was in progress. I know where I'd rather be.

In memorial:
Today is the 26th anniversary of the death of Led Zeppelin's
drummer John Bonham.

© 2006

Surf's down...

At the time of writing, local beach staff are unable to confirm
a date for the start of the renovation of Boscombe pier and
surrounding area, although speculation is that it will be late
starting, and will cost twice the original estimate (so what's new?).
The image shows the pier today, viewed from the west during late
afternoon, on a falling tide.

© 2006

Early morning stroll...

At least I don't have to get out of bed in the middle of the night
at this time of year to get the dawn light. The image was made
at around 7:00am today, from Boscombe beach, Dorset. I got
just 10 minutes of light before the sun was obscured by clouds.
I asked beach staff about the re-development of the area, and
if it was running to schedule, but they didn't seem to know one way
or the other. Watch this space.

In memorial:
Today is the 36th anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix.

© 2006

Low tide at Poole harbour...

Today, there were particularly low tides along the south coast of
Dorset, the lowest being -0.1 at Mupe bay. Unfortunately, this
occured during the middle of the night and was therefore not
an ideal photographic subject. However, Poole harbour had its
low tide at around 6am, and with sunrise at around 6:35am, I
decided to target that location.
The image was shot at 7:08am facing west. In the
background is Branksea Castle, located on Brownsea island.
The island is where Baden Powell set up the first Scouting
encampment in 1907.

© 2006

Beach comber...

Early morning on Boscombe sea front, and the tractor is out raking
the beach in preparation for today's Lifeguard competition.
This scene won't be visible much longer, as the pier head is to
be demolished as part of a renovation project for the area, which is
due to start in the next month or so. The pier enterance, which dates
from 1958-60 will survive as it is now a Grade 2 listed building.
Also included in the project will be an artificial surf reef, reputed
to be the largest in Europe.

This blog will be used to visually document the re-development.

© 2006

 

Just around the corner...

The holiday season is all but over, and the kids are back to school...
autumn is just around the corner. Apart from the odd jogger and
dog walker, the beach and promenades on the coast of Dorset
are deserted during the early morning.
The image is of a promenade shelter on Boscombe beach, Dorset,
shot just after sunrise, with the pier in the background.

© 2006

The Red Arrows...

Today, at 1200 hrs the RAF team The Red Arrows
gave their annual display between Boscombe and Bournemouth
piers, Dorset. It was a typical demonstration that has given them
a world wide reputation that is second to none. Half of the display
features close formation aerobatic manoeurves, then they break
formation and start showing off.
© 2006

Harvest...

It's Harvest time here in Dorset, and the farmers are taking
full advantage of daylight to get the job done before the weather
breaks. Shot in late evening, the image shows a Combine Harvester
and Bailer at work on Kimmeridge Farm. 
© 2006

Jurassic coast...

As a prelude to (my) photographic season, I recently wandered
around the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset in the search of suitable
locations for the coming winter. The image here is of
Worbarrow Tout, part of the Jurassic Coast which now has the
status of a World Herritage site.

This view of the coast is only accessable from one route, and requires
a suitably low tide for access. At this time of year the sun still sets
inland, but come November-February it rises and sets at sea, creating
stunning lighting of the cliffs.
© 2006

Passiflora...

Today I decided to take a different approach to photography,
stuff a macro lens onto the front of my camera, and
hunt down some close-up images. Whilst I am no gardener
(to say the least), much to my surprise I found this specimen
in my garden, a Passionflower.

© 2006

On the Beach...

Not too much has happened on the photo front of late,
so I decided to get myself out early (5:15am) and
do something about it. The sunrise was fleeting in my
neck of the woods today, so I concentrated on details
found on my local beach. The image is of stacked beach
recliners.

© 2006 

Reflection # 8

A reflection makes an interesting image in its own right
without the need to reveal the subject that made it,
often producing an abstract far removed from the original.

The photograph above was made just before sunset on the
River Stour, Dorset.

© 2006

Rust...

The image is of the stern section of a long abandoned boat
that I came across whilst bumbling around on the shore
line of Poole harbour, Dorset. It's part of a 'dereliction'
set of images I have been assembling for my LRPS. 
© 2006

Mill pond...

A long over-due project has finally got under way. I've wanted
to start a reflections gallery for some time, but never seemed to
get around to it. I had made a start earlier this year while I was
still shooting on film, but the clowns at my local lab lost the film
(not for the first time, either). The image included here is of a
local water mill photographed in early evening.

As of Thurday evening the fault on my phone line has still not
been rectified by the Telecom company I subscribe to. I've
made 4 calls to them since Sunday, and each time they've promised
me "It will be corrected in the next 24 hours". Obviously they can't
count, except when it comes to sending out bills.

© 2006

Ah, normal service seems to be resumed...

16 weeks ago, my local beaches had 1.1million cubic metres
of sand dredged up and pumped ashore in a replenishment
program. Today, I see the sand being removed to allow 
maintenance of the Groynes. Why couldn't this work have been
performed before the pumping started and the woodwork
was already exposed? More burden on the tax payer, no doubt.
Local councils in action. You can't beat it, can you?

© 2006

Normal service will be resumed...

British Telecom (bless their cotton socks) inform me that there
is a fault on my line due to re-wiring, so my computer will
not hold an internet connection. This is preventing me from
making posts. They say it will be another 24 hours before
my phone stops barking at me. Why wasn't I informed that
this maintenance was going to take place? So long as they have
my money, eh?
  

The rural post box...

Surprisingly, despite the failure of my camera earlier this week, 
the images on the memory card survived.
The image of the rural post box was made at the start of an
ongoing project to record man-made artifacts of the countryside to which we barely give a second glance.

Location: Knowlton, Dorset
© 2006 

The saga ends...

Today, just 67 hours after I returned the said Nikon D200, I received a new replacement from the good people of Warehouse Express (www.warehouseexpress.com). This, in my opinion, is first class service. OK, the camera was only 3 weeks old, and they could have made me wait whilst a Nikon service centre gave it the 'once-over', but no, their response was immediate and effective.
In this day and age service like this deserves a mention.

So, the saga begins...

Three weeks to the day, it lasted. The camera has been returned via Royal Mail special delivery to the dealer at 2:35pm. Up to now, the e-mail I sent last night outlining the fault has still gone un-answered, so a brief phone call to the company clarified the procedure for the return. They say it could take up to three weeks before it's been checked by the manufacture, repaired if possible, or a replacement delivered.
The customer is always the one who suffers. Maybe buying on-line is not all that's it cracked up to be.

Daily Grind

Daily Grind
Modern technology in action. The new digital camera (no names mentioned, for now) failed on me yesterday evening after only 3 weeks use. It just decided it had had enough, and would not work. I'd resisted the change to digital photography all this time, certain that film was giving me all that I needed, but I succumbed. For the time that the camera worked I was pleased with the way it handled, and the results I was getting, but how can I trust the technology now? Digital SLR's are jam-packed with electronics, just waiting for the right moment to give up the ghost.
I'd used a Nikon F5 for 4 years in all kinds of conditions and it didn't falter once, gave great images and was built like the proverbial...So, it's back to film for the foreseeable future whilst it gets sorted out. Maybe I'll just return to photography the old fashioned way.

Not happy.

90 years on...

90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme

© 2006