Snapshots

Feral pigeons (Columba livia domestica), also called city doves, city pigeons, or street pigeons are pigeons that are derived from the domestic pigeons that have returned to the wild. The domestic pigeon was originally bred from the wild rock dove which naturally inhabits sea-cliffs and mountains. Rock (i.e., "wild"), domestic, and feral pigeons are all the same species and will readily interbreed. Feral pigeons find the ledges of buildings to be a substitute for sea cliffs, have become adapted to urban life and are abundant in towns and cities throughout much of the world. (Wikipedia). Camera: Nikon D300s Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

The carrion crow (Corvus corone) is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae and the genus Corvus which is native to western Europe and eastern Asia. The carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae, and it still bears its original name of Corvus corone. The binomial name is derived from the Latin Corvus, "Raven" and Greek korone/κορωνη, "crow". (Wikipedia). Camera: Nikon D300s Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

A group of "fashionably dressed" horses photographed near Brierfield in the North-West of England with my new camera, a Nikon D500. Lens: AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Processed with Nikon Capture NX2.

This is either a Llama or an alpaca....I'm not sure which. A herd of them are kept in fields next to the Leeds-Liverpool canal just outside the town of Brierfield in North-West England. Photographed with a Nikon D500 camera and processed with Nikon Capture NX2. The lens used was the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

A female Mallard with her chicks on the Leeds-Liverpool canal near Brierfield in North-West England. Photographed with my new Nikon D500 and processed with Nikon Capture NX2 software. The lens used is a AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED.

Photographed in fields near the town of Brierfield in North-West England. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Software: Nikon Capture NX2

Another shot of these horses taken during a light rain shower. Although the aperture was wide open at f2.8 it seems to have captured the falling rain as well as the horses. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Software: Nikon Capture NX2

Male (right) and female (left) mallards taking a break from swimming on the banks of the Leeds-Liverpool canal near the town of Reedley in the North-West of England. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Software: Nikon Capture NX2.

Crataegus, commonly called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, May-tree, whitethorn or hawberry is a genus of several hundred species of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name "hawthorn" was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe, especially the common hawthorn C. monogyna and the unmodified name is often so used in Britain and Ireland. The generic epithet "Crataegus" is derived from the Greek kratos "strength" because of the great strength of the wood and akis "sharp", referring to the thorns of some species. The name haw, originally an Old English term for hedge (from the Anglo-Saxon term haguthorn, "a fence with thorns") also applies to the fruit. (Wikipedia). Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Software: Nikon Capture NX2

Horses grazing in the fields next to the Leeds-Liverpool canal near the town of Reedley in North-West England. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Software: Nikon Capture NX2

Pendle Hill photographed from a distance of about 4 miles / 6.5 Kilometres (cropped to remove uninteresting foreground). My "shooting" location was near the town of Reedley which is South-East of the hill. Pendle Hill is famous for its links to three events which took place in the 17th century: the Pendle witch trials (1612), Richard Towneley's barometer experiment (1661), and the visitation by George Fox (1652), which led to the foundation of the Quaker movement. A Bronze Age burial site has also been discovered at the summit of the hill. (Wikipedia). Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Software: Nikon Capture NX2

A jackdaw carrying what appears to be a slice of brown bread back to it's nest on nearby buildings. The bird was about 30 metres / 33 yards from my shooting position according to the EXIF information so I had to crop the photo quite a lot to get a reasonably large image with my 200mm lens, therefore the resolution is not quite perfect. I used "continuous high speed" (10 frames per second) shooting mode and "continuous auto-focus" with an exposure compensation of +1.7 to avoid the bird becoming a silhouette against the bright blue sky. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Software: Nikon Capture NX2

The rook (Corvus frugilegus) is a member of the family Corvidae in the passerine order of birds. It was given its binomial name by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The binomial is from Latin; Corvus for "raven" and frugilegus is Latin for "fruit-gathering" from frux, "fruit" and legere, "to pick". The English name is ultimately derived from the bird's harsh call. Rooks are distinguished from similar members of the crow family by the bare grey-white skin around the base of the adult's bill in front of the eyes. The feathering around the legs also looks shaggier and laxer than the carrion crow. The juvenile is superficially more similar to the crow because it lacks the bare patch at the base of the bill but it has a thinner bill and loses the facial feathers after about six months. (Wikipedia). Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Software: Nikon Capture NX2

A couple of early-risers practising their dawn chorus, photographed just after sunrise this morning. No prizes for guessing where the title came from :-) Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Software: Nikon Capture NX2

Two male mallards in flight....they were following a female but I couldn't get them all in the frame at the same time as she was too far in front. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Software: Nikon Capture NX2

My neighbour's cat. Usually she is quite timid and runs away when strangers come close but this time she seemed quite happy to sit and pose for about ten minutes until she got bored. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Software: Nikon Capture NX2

These pigeons are regular visitors to my locality....I assume they're racing birds and that the colours are to enable their owner to identify them whilst in flight (they also each have a green ring on their leg). Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Software: Nikon Capture NX2

I saw this old man with the young boy standing in the entrance to a garage across the street so I grabbed a quick "candid" shot with my new camera to see how it performs with portraiture. I'm very pleased with the result....much better than I expected from a quick snapshot. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Software: Nikon Capture NX2