There really isn't much of a theme to tonight's blog, just a series of shots taken at lunchtime in London, and then late afternoon in Brighton. It was sunny in both locations. In London the herons were busy with their nests. 
And now the required cautionary note about photographing nesting birds. All the above were taken from a good distance away. When photographing nesting birds keep in mind that you should on no account do anything that will disturb them, and in some cases even photographing the nest site may be illegal given the high likelihood of disturbance and the fragile status of the particular species (those on what is known as Schedule One). Grey herons aren't on the prohibited list details of which are here.
The swans weren't nest-building, but were at their most elegant.
Late afternoon I was in Brighton (Hove, actually) and managed to get a shot of a modest flock of starlings sweeping over the derelict West Pier. And this really is a small flock. At their peak, the flocks can number thousands of birds.
Of course, being a sunny day and late in the afternoon and down on the coast there is always another shot to be had. But before I add the ubiquitous photograph of a sunset over the sea, it was that other celestial orb that captured my imagination. That's not quite a full moon (it's waxing gibbous, to get technical), but it's very close.
And now for the sunset…
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM.
serola
19 Jan 2011That kind of moon pictures I like very much :up:
cakkleberrylane
19 Jan 2011Amazing that you can get such natural shots right in the city, equally amazing that the Herons will nest where there are so many people.
That's a wonderful composition with the starlings.
It must have been astro photo night last night, I took one of the moon too!
SittingFox
19 Jan 2011Nice to see the moonrise! I saw it setting just before 7am this morning 🙂
That's a wonderful picture of the sunset, but I enjoyed the starlings too. They are one of the best sights in nature when they concentrate in the really large groups.
gdare
19 Jan 2011Looks like Moon is pushing chimneys 😀
wellisteffi
20 Jan 2011The Moonpicture is great and
the sunset is beautiful. :up:
Words
20 Jan 2011Erwin, thanks!
Words
20 Jan 2011Darko, they could do with some roof repairs I think!
Words
20 Jan 2011Steffi, thanks! I always enjoy sunsets over the sea. That was on one side of me. The moon over the sea front building was on the other side.
Words
20 Jan 2011Sami, thanks. I couldn't resist photographing the moon over the buildings. One of those rare moments when the scene is asking for a camera.
Words
20 Jan 2011Lois, mainly the herons are nesting on a small island in the middle of the lake, but they really don't mind people and will come right up to anyone willing to feed them! Totally urbanized! Same with the starlings really. They spend most of the day in town, but flock at dusk over the sea.
Words
20 Jan 2011Adele, the moon Wednesday morning was great, but I didn't have time to stop to photograph it. I'm not sure if we still get the giant flocks on the pier since so much has been destroyed. It used to be one of the iconic sights of Brighton… along with the Pavilion and Mods with scooters 🙂
Wulpen
19 Oct 2012Lovely Shots