November 6, 2015 … hidden treasure

A fellow photographer alerted m to the presence of some dotterels at Eastbourne.

Decaying driftwood

It was a beautiful day, so that’s where I went. For quite a while I saw nothing. I sat as still as possible and looked around, and to fill in time photographed some decomposing driftwood. I am sure there must be a correct technical description for this process of decomposing in what looks like a crystalline structure.

Banded dotterel

And then I heard it. Though I had hoped to see the new season’s chicks, the beautiful little banded dotterel was a joy to behold.

This one bobbed up and down to ensure I was following it rather than going near the chicks.

It was clearly aware of me and judging by its little dance it was trying to divert my attention from the nest which is usually nothing more than a shallow scrape in the shingle. Since I did not wish to cause any distress I left it at that, but may try again this weekend.

If you click to enlarge, and look closely you should see lots of domestic fireworks

New Zealand as a former British colony still celebrates Guy Fawkes Day (Nov 5), commemorating the failed plot in 1605 to blow up the British Houses of Parliament and to assassinate King James I. This is traditionally observed with bonfires and fireworks. In New Zealand, at least, legislation has become increasing restrictive as to the power and type of fireworks able to be bought and set off by ordinary members of the public. Across the valley, there were lots of eruptions of skyrockets and cascading sparks, but they were scattered far and wide. In my effort to capture the scene, I mounted the camera on a tripod, made six exposures each of about 40 seconds and then blended them together in Photoshop. The result should show the various explosions over a four or five-minute period. Of course the low powered rockets are nothing like the explosions of a public display.

That’s enough for today.

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