Lift off

Another lunchtime dog walk, squeezed between bouts of report writing and food shopping, again undertaken in brilliant sunshine with a brisk breeze. I had put my 300mm lens on in the hope of getting a better shot of the kingfisher, but of course today it didn't show up - not even a peep or a flash of blue!

As I was heading out past the rowing lake I heard the rhythmic splashing sound of a group of swans taking off behind me and managed to fire off a few shots. I'm always amazed that they can fly - it seems to take such an effort to get into the air and you can see them straining every muscle.

This image shows the swan just at the point of lift-off. You can see the splashes behind it, caused by the feet pushing on the water as it apparently runs along the surface. The wings are in the downbeat, but still with the tips upturned to give it lift. I think I can almost detect a look of satisfaction on its face as if it knows it's made it into the air once again!