Canada geese in Ramsey harbour

                                 The visitors


The plan to capture the elusive heron that occasionally fishes these waters, always seems to be a failed one. Plan b, to capture the passing cormorants. They were also a no show. As for the swans, long since passed by, and no seagulls around. Instead the capture of visiting Canada Geese and ducks on shimmering ripples. Lovely afternoon light. The harbour is a wonderful place for coastal birdwatchers, but never plan to capture on camera any specific type. Just enjoy the visitors. I may even spot the even more elusive kingfisher one day. 

For other Isle of Man bird captures see Jane Hards Photography

Image part of abc, where bloggers around the world take a letter a week and see what we find.

Swanning around

                          National Bird Day


Another Sulby river side walk in the Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve. It's a haven for birds of many feathers, but no foxes badgers or squirrels. We don't have those on the Isle of Man. We do have plenty of swans though. A Spring image, it is far too wet, cold, grey and windy for swans and photographers atm. Nice weather for ducks though. 


For anyone on twitter or facebook did you know it is #NationalBirdDay where you can see other posts around the world of birds. My bird collection album


This post today is part of Our World Tuesday.

Bowring Road, bridge at low tide

                             Birdwatching?

At low tide, the stonework of the sunken bridge is revealed and its 3 arches, which allow the Sulby river to ebb and flow out into the harbour (towards the right of the image) and the Irish Sea. Above the bridge is the main road leading out of Ramsey towards, The Grove Museum, (once not owned by the Bee Gees who hail from the Isle of Man, but by an altogether different Gibb Family. A post for another day.), and the villages of Bride and Andreas. Small fishing and sailing boats are often moored here when not in use, like the one pictured. At low tide cormorants, gulls, ducks, and herons can be seen flying through the arches to the other side, which leads to the Poyll Dooey nature area.  At high tide you can find the same birds diving for fish. You can also find photographers waiting to capture the scene, which on a dry sunny day is not a bad way to spend some free time, even if those birds don't appear.

Today's image is my part of the world, for Our World Tuesday. Other Our World posts around the globe can be found here. 
Click the Facebook badge, to have find more of my photography, here in the Isle of Man and other places, people etc. 

Swan lake

                             Evening dip


I was actually looking for the swam that has taken to walking the roads, rather than swim in the harbour, or the visiting Australian black swan, but no just your average swans and geese evening birds. Also, has anyone seen the escaped lemur from the wildlife park. Last seen with a tomato sauce bottle apparently vandalizing butcher's shops. Or that could be the escaped wallaby.

Black crow is not hard to handle - critters

What is it with me and birds?

Critters

Jealous again are you about the strange image. No you are not seeing things. That is a crow eating a tissue. Not sure that is the best remedy. No, not one iota of manipulation apart from the desaturation to monochrome in Raw. No photoshopped tissues into the already taken image. That's just how it is with me and the birds. Sister luck when it comes to critters and how cooperative they can be. They sit on my hand, they behave oddly around me. Seem to even dare I say it pose for me.Maybe it's Manx magic, little bit of Ginnie Witchcraft. I dunno, but whatever it is but I never find black crows hard to handle. Or should that be Black Crowes?


Yes, yes I'm sort of back. Well posting, rather than visiting. Not really into shooting around Ramsey at the moment, or blogging in general so an archive for you from a batch I shot of this beautiful bird, a carrion crow to be precise, over the local park. Sure the other images to compare will pop up on the links. For other critters around the globe click here. Honestly I don't make these birds do these things, they just do.

E is for elegance - abc

Swan lake

Abc this week is an taking a E

Well hopefully these scheduled posts are working out and you should be seeing an elegant swan glides effortlessly in an eclectic mix of floating debris for my E this week. Well I hope that's image you've got. Why scheduled, I'm not here folks. Hopefully having lots of wine, and crepes while you lot slave away on me jolly holiday.


You know where this is my now the harbour. The floating debris might not be the most graceful setting but I'm sure you'll agree swans are always elegant. Well that is when that are not being bad tempered about a camera being shoved in there face for a photo to be captured.


More abc' s can be found here

THEME DAY - FEET

Crow's feet, a gripping image

Theme Day - Feet

I had toyed with the obvious lateral choice of crows feet around the human eye but decided no. To publish an image of someone, a stranger, and refer to their laughter lines (as some know them) crows feet may have proved a little indelicate. Also a little too obvious that I would go for the lateral choice, so turn the idea on it's head and for once post a literal sensible straight forward image. I checked with the crow who didn't think it it was at all indelicate I photographed his

talons. Even put his best manicured crow foot forward. As a bonus you get all the glossy feather detail too and the grain of the wood. Now this was better than posting my toenail that fell off when I broke my toe a couple of years ago wasn't it? Well perhaps not it was beautiful shade of purple.

SHY SWAN IN SOFT LIGHT - CRITTERS

I can see you!

Critters

A really quick post today. When in doubt get the swan shots out. Not so much in doubt but more pushed for time. So a little monochrome of this sweet coy swan who just wouldn't lift his/her head for me to photograph the beautiful line of the neck in the soft half light. Still those lovely white feathers really jump out against the dark water which was the aim of the image anyway. Gotta love swans to photograph. Elegant, slow, graceful and beautiful. Word of warning though don't make one angry. Not so beautiful, elegant, slow or at all graceful when they are hissing or spitting at you. That scenario doesn't quite fit the delicate, serene image above does it? For more serene swans not having a hissy fit click colours below.


Wing tips!
Romance
Ever decreasing circles

The gymnast

Arty
Comedic
Mythical
Lateral

I hope you like the little joke image one in there too. Gotta run.

YOU LOOKING AT ME? - CRITTERS

Sulking siskin

Critters

Well I suppose you'd be sulking and moody if you'd just flown into a window and some idiot runs up to you and shoves a camera in yer face while you're trying to recover. You all know the story of the mad siskins with satnav problems who bounce of my patio doors. Here's another. Needless to say I don't just capture them( figuratively with the camera of course) but stay with them 'til they are less dazed and confused and fit enough to fly off. Free as bird oh lord I can't change the habits of these mad little birdies, just look after them.




Anyway for the back story on the moody siskin and my other images see pretty colours below.

Handbird
Tom Thumb
Sleep baby sleep

YOUNG CORMORANT- CRITTERS

Young free and single

Critters

In and out post today. This will be critters, I'll link sign linky later. It's one of the young cormorants we have in the harbour here. This is my nemesis bird. These cormorants as you know are birds I am often chasing to get the definitive image of. Well here's the baby head shot, not as dark as it's parents yet. Really short and sweet today. Busy work but for my other cormorant pics and info click the links below.

For more info click here for a great wiki round up.

Too view my other cormorant pics click words below.

Here
There

And Everywhere

Now if I can just find that elusive escaped wild wallaby of Ramsey(yes more than one now though) and a Manx Fairy for critters that would be fantastic. For more critters of the world click Misty Dawn. Told you it was a short post today.

Roll the on the blues festival!

RESCUED GOLDFINCH - CRITTERS

Keep your cats away from me!

Critters

When in doubt get the bird shots out!

Not a chaffinch or a siskin on my hand this week, but a goldfinch. That would be a European Goldfinch, or as I prefer to call them our little masked raiders. You should see the way we have a group, or a"charm of goldfinches" as they are called correctly attacking the bird feeders. What about this archive image though?


This is a little male goldfinch I rescued from a very naughty cat. Not one of the critters cats I will no doubt see. He'd got a paw to the little birdie, swatted him like a fly bringing the poor bird to the ground. I just ran at he cat(as you do) to scare him off. A mad woman screeching at him like a howling Banshee in a whilrling dervish soon did the trick. I picked this little bird up as gently as I could and tried to coax him round. Eventually he had a bite of the seeds and kindly posed for this photo, before flying off with no lasting damage. I do think he looks a little grumpy on this image. There again if I had been squatted mid flight bounced on the floor and then been subjected to posing for a photo I think I might look a little p""""d off too.


Another lovely collection of goldfinches can be found at the lovely Wigger's World along with a variety of other cuties.

For more camera critters see Misty dawn's den.


Scheduled post I'm out and about.


Go out the sun is shining!

GOSSIPING GULLS - CRITTERS

Got any Skeet?


Critters

Got any skeet? You may wonder what on earth I am asking of you, but that to me is what one gull would be saying to the other. No it's not a new drug that has be created on the island Although it is a Manx word. No, one gull is not asking the other if he has heard any good jokes. recently, or place to do lunch. Take a look at the title "Gossiping Gulls" and you see that skeet to Manx person is simply gossip.



Now the word skeet as I know already/have discovered has several other meaning but we are just concerned with this Manx one, the Isle of Man word. Some of the other meaning are just not what we want at all. Skeet then Manx style is loosely translated as gossip, but really it's a hyper gossip on overdrive, travelling at the speed of light. Not mere tittle tattle. It is a hobby, nay sport that Manxies would be Gold medalist at the Olympics at. Skeet has evolved from a nosy parker to gossip, possibly from an Icelandic word bearing a close resemblance to the word, erm how shall I put this - human waste/manure/dregs poo in other words. Nice! So that's skeet. Two gulls together look like they are in skeeting in the harbour. This was taken with the little point and shoot, not the big Nikon.




Skeet today is if you head on over to Misty Dawn you will get to see a world of critters. You didn't here that here though remember.

Please check out Help needed , re dogs home burnt down that needs volunteers in the area. Post by fellow blogger at KCP with all the details. Thanks.


Babooshka ramsey daily photo http//dailyphotoisleofman.blospot.com/

GO CORMORANT GO!-CRITTERS

Come fly with me

Critters Sunday

One from the harbour again. I think this is the young Great cormorant who is no longer such a youngster. When I've shown these birds in the past so many of you say you aren't familiar with them as they do tend to be shore birds although they are becoming more adaptable to inland haunts apparently. In fact until I moved to Ramsey I confess I had never seen one in the flesh either. When we first came here we spotted just the pair of cormorants now there is a a complete family fishing and flying the waters of Ramsey Harbour. Majestic birds expert divers can go to great lengths but usually find they shallow dive for surface fish. Often you see one dive and resurface about 50ft away down stream with or without it's supper. As you can see they have quite a wingspan too and always tend to fly in short low bursts along the harbour. For more info click here for a great wiki round up.


Too view my other cormorant pics click words below.

Here
There
And Everywhere


The new laptop has finally arrived. Just getting to grips with it. The screen is a little too bright and lacking in red tones I've noticed so I may have to re calibrate it. This image maybe a little small as I'm getting used to the screen size as well. Bit hit and miss tonight. So finally will be able to make a start on the website and re file all the images. Now if I can just find that elusive escaped wild wallaby of Ramsey and a Manx Fairy for critters that would be fantastic. For more critters of the world click Misty Dawn.


babooshka ramsey daily photo hht://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

WAGTAIL IN SOFT FOCUS- CRITTERS

Watching Wagtails

Critters

Wagtails are a very common bird here well the white one here is along with the pied wagtail. We do have a grey wagtail which are rarer which visits our garden daily. Wagtails are really cute birds whose  long tail is constantly wagging and bobbing up and down.  Insectivores they have adapted really well to urban living. I am more likely to see one of these birds wandering down the high street drinking out of puddles that in the garden or along the promenade like this cutie. They don't often settle, constantly on the move. I didn't bother trying to get any closer in case he flew off I used the telephoto lens to create the soft focus shot. So I am at quite a distance, the lens draws me closer. Honestly he is real and not stuffed. Like the Robin I snapped he is just so still.

 

List ofWagtails by Wiki

• White Wagtail Motacilla alba - polyphyletic or paraphyletic
  • Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii
  • Black-backed Wagtail Motacilla (alba) lugens
• Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis
• White-browed Wagtail Motacilla madaraspatensis
• Mekong Wagtail Motacilla samveasnae
• African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp
• Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola - possibly paraphyletic
• Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava
  • Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flava - paraphyletic
• Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
• Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis
• Madagascar Wagtail Motacilla flaviventris
• Mountain Wagtail Motacilla clara

The Mekong Wagtail was described as new to science only in 2001

I often have birds on the blog that are not so common around the world or coastal ones. I wonder if you have this bird where you are. Short and sweet tonight. Lazy weekend. To see more Critters see Misty Dawn.

So yes or no do you have wagtails? I'm curious.

Babooshka Ramsey Daily Photo hhttp://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com

Monochrome Odd Shots- A bird in the hand

Bird onto hand transplant is a roaring success

Monochrome Odd shots

I don't usually like two bird images together, yesterday and today but I'm being rather lazy this weekend having a clear out. The back garden birds are also going a little winter mad. To be fair to them I don't think they are flying at the windows on a suicide mission this week but to get away from a very naughty cat who is going to get his backside squirted with water if I see him. Clumsy cat clattered into the patio windows leaving a great big dirty cat sized mark. Be warned kitty kat I will get you if harm one feather of my garden birds.

Sandi, asked yesterday what the bird was on the sidebar image. It's the same as this one as European siskin. Really cute birds and feisty but for migrating birds, no sense of direction. That's how I end up coaxing these little sweeties round again after they knock themselves out. The bird lover in me is helping them, but the dark side the photographer, just can't help going for those one handed photographs. Never one to miss an opportunity I always keep my portrait lens close to hand in the house for these close images. What's worse confessions of being a secret bird spotter or a "anything to get the photo" photographer. 

Will get back to the business of the blog tomorrow, anything goes good or bad and the ugly images of Ramsey. Going for realism this week, or as some of you know the search for white dog poo which I won't find or buildings instead. This is a serious photography project, stop laughing.

Monocrhome Maniacs hosted by Aileni, here. Odd shot hosted by Katney, here. Join or take a peek at others who have their own creations.

Babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

Lone Swan - Critters

Me Myself I

Critters Sunday

The photo I wanted to upload I can't find to hand it's late so I've just grabbed this one. It's back in the harbour. The lonesome swan was swimming towards the wall that separates the harbour from the park lake. Is it me or can you make out a face in those feathers. Maybe it's me. 

The harbour is always full of swans so they are always a fall back option to post. I'm busy sorting through tonnes of images, especially bird photographs at the moment, particularly swans. I have that many now I may be tempted to let the odd freebie go to a good home. Have to think about that one.  I like this one very much on a personal level, how white the swan is against the darkened water, but it's a little arty and bold for the gallery I'm planning. It will make sense when you see it.  Have to see how the credit crunch is affecting this photographer to see if I can let a few images go then. This is one I am debating about for the new website. So many swans so little space. Somethings gotta give. 

I'm keeping this short and sweet tonight. Going to pour myself a drink, take a break and then plough on with the clear out. Maybe even update Facebook. To all you "budding" photographers out there have fun and don't be bitter, there's plenty of images to go round and advise.i  More critters can be found at Misty Dawn's if you just click here

Babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

DUCK SNOOP!-RAMSEY CRITTERS

I spy with my little eye - a mad woman with a camera

The female Mallard on the grass verge of Mooragh Promenade concludes our week around the beach of Ramsey. Well actually both beaches. Ducks and swans don't usually venture as far as the beach opting for the main harbour or smaller harbour inlet, but occasionally we get these wanderers who venture a little further afield. Mallards have to be the most recognizable of ducks male or female and they are certainly the most common. Apparently the Mallard and the Muscovy featured last week are the considered to be the ancestors of almost all domestic ducks. As you can see this one was nonchanlantly pretending to ignore me, but that beady eye followed me around. When snooping on birds a telephoto lens is advisable.

I've just been reminded by G that it is the R.S.P.B (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) Great Garden Bird Watch. Householder's watch their garden, balcony, patio, yard for roughly an hour and record the birds they see. It's a way to keep check of birding habits numbers etc. I'm sure I won't be the only one taking an hour out this weekend to sit and watch and record the birds, and I'm sure I'll have the camera to record the results. 

One blog you should check out this week if you are into your wildlife and want to delve deeper, 

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris: 

You will enjoy this one, very informative wildlife blog. Dave is an expert and friendly chap.

Misty Dawn is the critter lady, and other critters are there too.

Don't forget to join us on Facebook - click the logo, more island stuff there.

Last week was the beaches of Ramsey. This week from tomorrow will be Reflections week and I have some terrific images lined up for your viewing pleasure. Personally I enjoyed taking them more than any other image recently. Not as straightforward as you might think. What do you plan to post next week? 

Ps. Please remember these images are copyrighted. Thank You.

MONONCHROME ODDHSOTS - SPOT THE BIRDIE?

Leave no stone unturned to spot the birdie

Ramsey Daily Photo - http://dailyphotoilseofman.blogspot.com/

Can you spot the Birdie?

Monochrome Oddshots on the beach. It's still torrential rain here, so again not today's image.

Part of the series of images from the beach, a turnstone. Honestly he is in there somewhere. I know it's a small image but he's not hard to find. Strangely even in the colour version he is quite camouflaged as he seemed to blend in with  the colours of the pebbles along the beach. 

Usually find groups of these birds in Ramsey, along with oystercatchers, cormorants, gulls of course, redshanks to name a few. Usually too see another mad bird(this is a joke, calm down you rampant fems.) called Babooshka walking quickly towards them or hiding behind rocks, or crawling along the ground to catch a snap of them. Don't even get me started on chasing swallows. They fly right up to you strutting their stuff goading you to take a snap of them. I've got a few swallow shots but not many beach ones. Wagtails too is another bird found here and occasionally a wheatear. Ok there are a lot of birds on the beach. You just try snapping one!

Well it's time to batten down the hatches. Ramsey is suppose to be in for a really rough ride the next few days with gales and tremendous rainfall. Maybe the house will end up on the beach.

Facebook has been down, I'll be on when I can as the server here is also slow today.

Creative Monochrome Maniacs see Aileni at Loose ends

Oddest of Oddshots see Katney

Did you spot the birdie?

This blog belongs to 

Ramsey Daily Photo

http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

If you are reading this on another site that has a different url it is an illegal copy and

I will take action.

Tomorrow is the big 300.

RAMSEY QUAKERS CRITTER

Definitely my best side Babooshka

Ramsey Daily Photo

http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

Critters Sunday

As you know I was supposed to be running a series of photos this coming week, Ramsey Beach Images. Of course the moment I suggest that it has consistently rained. Typical. Fortunately I always have a ready stock of recent beach bird images, such as this one. Now I think this is a Muscovy. Can you confirm or deny that out there in critter land?

Funny name Muscovy don't you think? Muscovy meaning coming from the Moscow area but these ducks are don't originate from there. It seems it could be the company that traded in the bird may have given the bird the name, rather than the area. Also Muscovy could be Musk Duck. Anyway lots of Muscovy related stuff for you at wiki here. 

As you've noticed a logo now appears on the image. Sorry folks but well if you've been reading this week you'll know about the problems. For those just passing through, lets just say keep an eye on your own blog and images. They are yours, not anyone else's. 

Take this blog, it's me Babooshka,Ramsey Daily Photo, http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

Anywhere else it's theft. 

It's been a long week. See you on faceboook see logo. For more critters see Misty Dawn to join or view others.

Ramsey Quakers

Ramsey 

Isle Of Man

This blog belongs to 

Ramsey Daily Photo

http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

If you are reading this on another site that has a different url it is an illegal copy and

I will take action.

VERSATILE SWAN - RAMSEY CRITTERS

Hide, Babooshka is here with her camera again!

Critters Sunday

I know the swan isn't really hiding from me. Well I presume it's not. We have camera show people but not birds, no the swan is of course preening itself. Not for my benefit for the image but I'm sure it did he/she some good. Spent quite a while doing this. On second thoughts maybe it was avoiding me. Of course this was taken alongside Ramsey Harbour again, actually on the Swing Bridge. 

Following on from yesterday another image using light and objects to bounce colour. The blue highlighted in the rippled circles was reflected off  a boat and stands out as the swan is so white. The same image with the swan in the centre of the shot isn't as dramatic, hiding the ripples and the blue isn't as emphasised, which is why I went with this one again a manual. Once you get the hag of manual images they are much sharper than auto. Forgive the next paragraph but going off at a complete tangent to internet thieves who are spoiling blogging..

If this blog page text full, part or images appears on any other site apart from "RAMSEY DAILY PHOTO" then it is being viewed illegally and has been reprinted, copied or fed to a site illegally. The contents of this blog are to be viewed on RAMSEY DAILY PHOTO, http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/ and I will take action if I find this page on any site other  than RAMSEY DAILY PHOTO 

Sorry for the above but some of us have had problems and I will not put up up with it.

For more Critters see Misty Dawn and please leave a comment.