With Freddie, our new baby, settling in well I decided to take a stroll around Mapperley with some of the paternity leave I have left – the wife was off shopping and I fitted it between jobs. Why Mapperley? Well frankly it had everything I wanted, good birds, potential of some good landscape photography, maybe some snowdrops and also a sit down in the hide. There’s been some great shots taken down there by Maggie and Mick recently and so I thought I’d have my turn. I hope these don’t repeat what those two have shown, as you know I like to push the processing on my shots in my own unique way.

Cold Front Cooper has been leaving everyone a bit chilly and I felt it today, I’m just glad we aren’t in central Europe. The ducks out on the lake were feeling it too.

I took a few photos across the ice, a family or two of Great Crested Grebes were out and about, and close, as well as Coots, Moorhen, Mallard, Canada Geese, Mute Swans and Black Headed Gulls. The fishermen were having to smash ice holes like eskimos, but no seals popped up to see them

This Grebe is swimming uphill, how strange! Check your tripod’s level kids!

From there I headed on up Shipley Hill, where the wood was brimming with Redwing, creeping through leavefall is almost impossible, and they were moving on when I was well out of photographer range and so I decided to lie in wait for them to come back closer. Of course they didn’t. Its amazing how well that camouflage works in woodland, sometimes I could see the ground moving with leaves being overturned but no birds were in sight. Several times I checked to see if there were no birds in the area in front of me before moving on and then flushed twenty or so, they were almost invisible. I had to make do with a Song Thrush who was more obliging.

Up at Shipley Hill I knew it was still pushing it for Snowdrops, they were out but not quite flowering, perhaps when the sun reached them they might. I took a few shots regardless and lost a lens cap, keep an eye out for it if you’re up there – I scoured the ground for 20 mins and couldn’t find it when I realised it wasn’t in my pocket.

Next stop was at the hide, and I arrived to find two people in there, unusual. So, a bit further away than normal (despite the offers to steal their prime spot) I took some shots of the tits visiting the feeders. Jays, Long Tailed Tits, (male) Great Spotted Woodpecker all strayed within eyesight but not within camera range. Otherwise Coal Tit, Blue tit, Great Tit, Robin, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Mistle Thrush and Blackbird where the birds keeping us entertained.

After winning the cookie competition hands down, I retreated, only to return for my tripod like a wally ten minutes later.

A cracking stroll and please give me some critique on the photos, positive or negative I can take it