purplehaze911

By purplehaze911

The Bully Swans...

I see so many wonderful swan shots here, I thought it might as well be my turn so off I trot to my local lake, bread in hand, without a care in the world.
Beautiful day, just right to shoot a duck in flight, or a heron, if it takes my fancy...
How wrong I was.......
I arrive, naively full of hope. The lake was quite green, with trees fallen in by the wayside, their decaying leaves spewing across the lakes surface. Interspersed amongst the leaves were plastic bottles, out of reach alas, it was a sad scene.
Ever hopeful I sat down. In the far distance I see geese or swans, they were too big for ducks I'm sure. Being a London outcast I can spot a pigeon and maybe a swan, tagged and chipped in Battersea Park.
I sit on the concrete bench oblivious to my impending fate...
I think aperture priority and maybe a spot of AL-Servo, to keep the focus on the eye as all species of birds come gently hither for their morsel of bread......
HA! smell the coffee....These swans live on their manor....Perfect eyesight from 1000 yards...They are thinking today Andy you're going down...(can they really break your arm, I mull over to myself??)
The Kingsmill (granary, thick sliced, no less) bag is spotted, Game on mug....
Swans, baby swans, ducks, mallard ducks, baby ducks strike a V formation across the other side of the lake, it is a bl**** armarda!!!
Bills down, webbed feet churn the waters depths.....
Al-Servo?? I need a drone in the sky with nuclear missile tracking capability, Star Wars I believe....
In no time they are at the waters edge....timidly I throw a few chunks of bread...A huge swan, not pristine white like everybody else's blips but a dirty brown neck and various shrubs on its wings. Hissing and snarling, Fire breathing nostrils spit their venom at me....I am now throwing slices at a time...backing off....THE SWANS ARE OUT THE WATER!! OMG 3 slices, eaten without a swallow, they are advancing....Canon V Swan.....I retreat..to the safety of the nightshade shiny Nissan, sweating and shaking uncontrollably. I review my 10 minutes of terror....Andy Rouse? lions, Hippos, Pah, you wanna come down to my lake sonny!!
I have a shot! retreating in terror I got this! A blurry swan eating a duck....how apt.....

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