Fungus - # 102/10

I said I'd show the fungus, so here it is. Looking closer I realise that the photo doesn't really do it justice, and more time should have been spent in true photography mode creeping around the site and taking 100 shots from numerous angles and at various settings.

But never mind.  What startles and impresses me is the brilliant white edge of the fungus. There is no flash lighting. This white edge is natural and I suppose that it comes from some property in the organism that responds to light, gathers and emits light.....or what ever.  I don't know.  But it is another miracle of the natural world.

Another striking image - # 101/10

.......tomorrow we'll do fungus.

Winter wild flower - Poppy - # 100/10

.....another wild flower snapped in the Wild Flower Meadow at the London Wetlands Centre this weekend.

Reed Heads in Black and White- # 99/10

We're staying at the London Wetlands Centre while I run through a selection of the images I took there, this weekend.  Being a "wetland" there are lots of reeds waiving in the wind.  Here are some of them.

Winter wild flower - # 98/10

Not a perfect shot but still arresting (a slight breeze made focussing tricky).  I was surprised to see that at the London Wetlands Centre, Barnes, http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit-us/london that there are still some fine wild flowers hanging on in the meadow areas.  I love going to the Wetlands. It is a truly marvelous re-creation of different wild environments as they are found around the world. There is also the benefit that as more and more birds discover and populate the centre they also visit the neighbouring areas as they fly around, exploring London.

For the technically minded: Lens - Olympus 50-200mm at 200mm (equivalent to 400mm on 35mm format) set at maximum aperture f3.5 to get that marvelous defocused background and the unrivalled Olympus in-camera processed jpeg colours. Camera: Olympus E3.

Black swan washing - # 09/24

Still at the London Wetlands Centre in Barnes: here's an Australian black swan washing itself.

I took several frames of this bird going through the antics of twisting itself into amazing coils, reaching every part of its body in the cleaning operation. I missed the moments when water was showering in all directions, but this is my choice photo showing off the "contortions".

Perhaps I ought to have cropped out some of the water area, but at least the bird is in context and does not overwhelm the whole picture

Two ducks, male and female - # 09/23

This is not my usual style of photo, but as Spring appoaches I couldn't resist this charming picture of "Him and Her" in their new home inside an old canoe. It was taken at the

http://www.wwt.org.uk/centre/119/london_wetland_centre.html

Wildlife is under pressure and the Wetlands Centre is a remarkable example of how a huge 19th Century city water processing and distribution "miracle of engineering" can be converted into a magnificent and successful haven for water fowl.

A day out at the Centre is a delight for photographers and families, whatever their interests. It's like a world tour accomplished in a few hours.