Blue Skies & Brown Eyes

Blue Skies & Brown Eyes, originally uploaded by julian sawyer.

It seems like quite a while since we had a full day of sunshine. So, after a walk along the cliffs in the morning (and a pasty for lunch) I headed for the Purbeck's northern boundary and the shores of Poole Harbour. The waders were keeping there distance, as were a couple of Reed Buntings and a solitary Dartford Warbler but this little Dunnock was very happy to pose.

Herdsman

Herdsman, originally uploaded by julian sawyer.

This is only the second Bull Finch I have seen in the Purbeck and I haven't seen many anywhere else either. I spent quite a while trying to get this one out of the shadows and into the sunshine.

Look Right

Look Right, originally uploaded by julian sawyer.

I'm not sure what got the attention of these Sparrows, but it must have been interesting. One minute there was a birdy riot going on in the bush, the next, all was quiet!

The Death Of The Sodium Street Light

The Death Of The Sodium Street Light, originally uploaded by julian sawyer.

Gradually, our old,mellow yellow, sodium street lamps are being replaced by brand new, shiny white lights. This is probably a good thing, I suppose, but it is changing the way the town looks after the Sun goes down.
The street lights along the sea front cast quite a nice warm glow and this will be lost very soon.
This picture was taken with a 5 second shutter speed on a rather gloomy evening, no stars, no moon, just a warm yellow glow.

Sika Seeker

Sika Seeker, originally uploaded by julian sawyer.

Sika are just wonderful animals. They have the most expressive faces and are incredibly curious. Although these Sika wont let you get too close, they are a lot more used to people than my local Roe deer and so will tolerate a little more intrusion. This, I think, is one of last years young.

Blackstone

Blackstone, originally uploaded by julian sawyer.

I have always liked taking photographs directly into the Sun, especially when I'm near the sea. It is a good time to play with silly shutter speeds.
The smooth black rocks on the shore in Kimmeridge Bay look pretty special when still wet from the receding tide and reminds me of polished Jet.

Seaweed and Boulder Skates

Seaweed and Boulder Skates, originally uploaded by julian sawyer.

In the search for a few nice bits of Kimmeridge Shale there is really only one place to go and that, not surprisingly is Kimmeridge Bay! Walking along the bay calls for a steady feet, as seaweed tries hard to make you fall over and beautiful black rocks slip nicely when you put your feet on them.
Apart from the Pied Wagtails and a so far unidentified Warbler, there were a number of little Rock Pipits. I can watch these happy chaps for hours.