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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Birds - Geese & Swans Page 2
Image Taken on 21 Jan 2017
at 10:26 Image of day on 01 Mar 2017
It is easy to miss Greylag Geese flying overhead because they are almost silent.
Canada Geese calls can be heard before they come into sight, and swans powerful
wings whistle if they get close. So spotting these before they got to us from
behind allowed this nearly vertical above image. We particularly like the 4
birds at the bottom of the image managing to overlap but not hide any heads.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20170301_df3_20170121_1026_077 7 greylag geese flying overhead 2 of 4 (adjusted crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Mar 2009
at 08:19 Image of day on 06 Apr 2009
On a different time scale to yesterdays bluetit, this mute swan
majestically flew by, turning as it went. We rarely see mute
swans here in flyovers, and they never land (they would need a
long stretch of water to take off again). These over several
seconds and laid out for artistic effect rather than accuracy.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20090406_db1_20090318_0819_043+051+056 mute swan in flight (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Nov 2016
at 10:25 Image of day on 01 Jan 2017
We never expect to see Swans of any sort on our patch because of the lack of a
long enough take-off strip to get airborne again. But this single Mute Swan made
a lovely Flyby near the North East corner. It was hard to decide what to do with
the 44 images - a 44 images sequence would reduce the bird to little more than a
'dot', and the bland blue sky provides no hint on how to align the images
anyway. So here are our impressions.
We have the whole 44 frames 'on file' should anybody want to see
them.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20170101_df3_20161128_1025_046-0487 mute swan in flight 08-10 of 44 (impression montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Nov 2016
at 10:25 Image of day on 01 Jan 2017
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20170101_df3_20161128_1025_055 mute swan in flight 17 of 44 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Nov 2016
at 10:25 Image of day on 01 Jan 2017
This Mute Swan's huge feet and powerful legs can't retract into the feathers
like the claws of smaller birds, but are nicely aligned with the air flow for
minimum drag.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20170101_df3_20161128_1025_069 mute swan in flight 31 of 44 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 05 Mar 2011
at 09:50 Image of day on 09 Apr 2011
We don't see much of mute swans in the area (and never landing in our patch)
so this chance flyby while we were standing by the roadside was a lovely
surprise. Alternate frames from a 6 fps sequence accurately aligned.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20110409_df1_20110305_0950_028-38 mute swan in flight across house & fields to north 1+3+5+7+9+11 of 23 (3 fps accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Feb 2012
at 07:27 Image of day on 25 Mar 2012
Just after dawn the whistle of wings turned our eyes skywards
just in time to enjoy this juvenile Mute Swan flying over our
patch, swinging round in a circle and then flying on. The montage
below had no reference points to make the spacings accurate.
 1-3 of 4 (arb montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20120325_df1_20120225_0727_128+130+132 mute swan juvenile flying overhead (eff 3 fps) 1-3 of 4 (arb montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Feb 2012
at 07:27 Image of day on 25 Mar 2012
As this majestic juvenile Mute Swan departed we felt as always
that the feet belong on a different creature!
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120325_df1_20120225_0727_135 mute swan juvenile flying overhead 4 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Nov 2023
at 07:27 Image of day on 02 Jan 2024
As the light show continued a pair of Mute swans winged quietly across the sky.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20240102_d71_20231123_0727_129 2 mute swans fly across sunrise in chaotic sky 2 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 11 Nov 2012
at 07:20 Image of day on 14 Dec 2012
Before dawn this pair of Mute Swans flying over the fields
was one of those magic moments we have tried to capture here. The
pairs synchronisation of wing positions is exactly as it was. The
montage is alternate frames from about 5 fps (so about 1 second
of flight)
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20121214_df1_20121111_0720_073+075+077 2 mute swans flying by at dawn 1+3+5 of 6 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 11 Nov 2012
at 07:20 Image of day on 14 Dec 2012
More detail from the skipped frame between the centre and left pairs
of the montage of two swans in flight
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20121214_df1_20121111_0720_076 2 mute swans flying by at dawn 4 of 6 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Feb 2021
at 07:16 Image of day on 16 Mar 2021
2 Mute Swans were flying in the distance against these glorious sunrise colours.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210316_d73_20210214_0716_019 2 mute swans flying through sunrise (crop 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Apr 2010
at 10:46 Image of day on 09 May 2010
We never see swans in our patch (not safe for takeoff) but in the
last couple of days a couple have been feeding on the sprouting
'whatever' in an arable field to our north undoubtedly to the
farmer's annoyance. Here we caught their arrival 'on the wing'
though this time they landed out of our sight.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20100509_df1_20100403_1046_069 2 mute swans in flight over fields to north 11 of 46 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image of day on 13 Aug 2005
After a few years break skeins of Geese are again flying over the
plot.
 geese 2005aug02_06-08-26(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20050813_p20_1030009 skein of (prob greylag) geese 2005aug02_06-08-26(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Sep 2022
at 07:26 Image of day on 19 Oct 2022
We rarely see Mute Swans here, so this flyby by just this one Swan was especially welcome.
The corvids on the 11kV cables and poles couldn't care less.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20221019_d72_20220912_0726_245-252 swan in flight @8fps (accurate montage 1)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Sep 2022
at 07:26 Image of day on 19 Oct 2022
More Detail of the three images at the left.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20221019_d72_20220912_0726_245-247 swan in flight @8fps (accurate montage 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg
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