blog entry 'The Nesting Season', I'm back with an update in the shape of more wildlife photography.Recent wanderings in my locality brought me a few photo opportunities in the company of Mute Swans. I'd left the compulsory loaf of bread at home by mistake so I wasn't too hopeful of any close-up shots, especially as I didn't have my 'Lure'. 
Never mind, you've gotta be optimistic.
Never mind, you've gotta be optimistic.I'd stumbled across 4 Mute Swan nests when I was out with my son Christopher, and as usual, the hen was sitting. Naturally the birds become quite aggressive if you push your luck and get too close to the nest site. Over the years I've had quite a lot of experience photographing Mute Swans at the nest site so I know my limits - wouldn't fancy being pecked in the face off one o' them buggers!
It's been around three weeks now since the nest discoveries so it shouldn't be too long now before each clutch of eggs hatch.
That's when the fun will begin. Obviously, as experience tells me, the best shots of cygnets are most definately during those first few days, when they look very photogenic at such a small size. I have a few photo's of day old chicks on my website but I'm hoping to get plenty more in the next week or so. 
Hopefully all eggs will hatch successfully and the nest robbers will be kept at bay, well, for at least another year!As hatching draws nearer here are a few more shots that I took last weekend. They were all taken at ONE of the nest sites but I hope to visit the other three this coming weekend, so there might be more news in the pipeline by Sunday night. Looks like I'll be parting with some pennies to buy a loaf of the owld Warburton's Toastie, eh. A small price to pay if I'm gonna get some good close-up's. Anyway, hope you like the latest shots. I'm liking the reflection one quite a lot. See ya later...
Ash
