Something to crow about...
I wangled a couple of hours down at St Mary’s today: a discussion with a ‘tog on UKBPN about photographing waders finally gave me the push to get right down to their eye level, so I was keen to give it a go.
I’ve put off so far (wimp that I am!), because the sand on our beaches is always wet and sticky, and the bloody stuff gets everywhere!
Nevertheless, we suffer for our art(!) and so – armed with a chunk of camping mat to lie on – off I went.
The last time I was there the beach was (for a change) completely clear of its normal seaweedy detritus. I hoped for more of the same tonight, and I’d timed my arrival to suit the tide.
Instead, there was a two foot deep coating of seaweed as far as the eye could see!
And no waders!
And no light!!
Instead I found myself in the company of some of the local crows. To be honest, that’s hardly a hardship, because I love the intelligence and resourcefulness of these birds, and think they make great subject matter.
Carrion Crow
Rook
Carrion Crow
Carrion Crow
This last one has been a frustration: it looks far too red, even though I’ve been diligent about the White Balance. It really was like this, in fact – a function of the amount of red in the background (kelp as far as the eye can see) and the low light…