Chill wind

After a morning analysing data I just had to get out and stretch my legs. It was sunny but very cold, with a chill northerly breeze, so I opted for a swift walk round Ferry Meadows hoping for some interesting birds to photograph. 

It was surprisingly quiet there in terms of the wildlife - there were some decent winter flocks of tufted ducks and coot and a scatter of other wildlfowl including shoveler (see extra), gadwall, wigeon and pochard. But there were scarcely any berries left on any of the hawthorns or wild roses, so no winter thrushes at all - very unusual for early December.

The resident black-headed gulls were bobbing about expectantly, waiting for someone to feed them. Unusually, I spotted one still with a completely dark head. The main reason I chose this image was for the patterns made by the water - which captured the cold and breezy nature of the day.

This evening Jenny and Mark popped round with a thank you present for photographing their wedding. It was very well chosen - a scarf printed with vintage cameras, a photographically themed mug and a token for a meal out at Turtle Bay. I'm now almost wishing I could photograph another wedding!