Currently browsing tag

Mute Swans

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Dinosaur feet

Seeing a scaly foot emerging from this Mute Swan’s plumage is a great reminder of the evolution of birds from theropod dinosaurs. …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

S-bend

Evolution doesn’t result in perfection, but in ridiculous compromises, recoveries from enforced limits and the sheer variety of difference achieved using the …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

White wedding

Swans are exceptional birds. I particularly like Mute Swans, but that’s because I’ve yet to see a Bewick’s Swan or a Whooper …

Bird Portraits at Daisy Nook - The Hall of Einar

Bird portraits at Daisy Nook

Birds have evolved a wide range of faces. Here’s a Coot with that large white faceplate: And a Mute Swan with a …

Swan's Nest - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The Swan’s nest

I’m walking through a narrow walkway in the reeds, looking for Reed Warbler’s nests, when I come across a Swan-made clearing in …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Waterbed

Have you ever tried making love on a waterbed? Ask a swan what it’s like. Archimedes could have predicted the outcome; you …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

There are no words

If you ask this swan what species it is, it won’t tell you. It’s Mute.

Robin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The river walk

Here are a few familiar faces from my social distancing walk. This Mute Swan is one of the aggressive pair which have …

Mute Swan - River Teign - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

A grey day on the Teign

I’m out with my son in the early morning. He has a camera too and takes a photo of me. As we …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Flotilla

It’s a beautiful, placid scene. It’s gorgeous light on the River Teign as I spot a Mute Swan flying and then landing …

Daisy Nook

Return to Daisy Nook

In a time before the lockdown I visited Daisy Nook Country Park. It’s in Failsworth, which is a great place to have …

Swan's Heel - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey

Swans’ ankles

There’s a Mute Swan upending itself on the lake. It’s giving me clear views of its ankles, or ‘backwards knees’ as many …

Mute Swan - Stover - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mute

I never get bored of Mute Swans, Cygnus olor: There’s something about their size, their poise and their steady pace that enthrals …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Pink Zebras and Ginger Swans

In Devon everything in the countryside takes on the colour of the soil; and that colour is often red. The Devonian red …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mute

Photographing Swans is as difficult as photographing snow. They often appear bleached and featureless. Or bedraggled and dirty. Getting the exposure just …

Moorhen - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Feathered friends

There’s time to visit Stover Country park and see some wildlife today. I’m taking my dad along so he can experience one …

Cirl Bunting - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

An evening in the fields

As part of the Wildlife Trusts’ #30DaysWild I’m heading out to have some nature experiences every day this month. Today I’m heading …

Mute Swans - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

From Cygnet to Swan

When did you last spend an hour so completely absorbed in something in the natural world that you forgot what time it …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Basal knob

That huge lump on the base of this Mute Swan’s beak is called a basal knob. Knowing that, however, tells you nothing …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Only an hour to spare…

There’s very good scientific evidence about the health benefits of nature. Scientists showed that people recovering from operations in hospitals needed less …

Mute Swan - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mute Swan

Here’s a drawing of a Mute Swan I did forty years ago. And here’s a photograph of a Mute Swan I took …