Marbled

The light on the river Avon this afternoon was almost too strong - I can hear the camera club judge that lives in a cave in the back of my head saying that I should have done more here to control the highlights and shadows. But winter sunlight always seems like a gift to me, and I couldn't bring myself to flatten this image out in processing - I've lowered the contrast a little, but otherwise left it alone. I especially like the reflections being bounced up onto the gull's breast.

I made a very late decision to go up to the owl field for the first time in several weeks, but mistimed it and arrived just after a single short-eared owl and a barn owl had passed through. The sun was already setting and it was evilly cold, so I didn't stay long, and the camera never even made it out of the car. But I did have the pleasure of watching a flock of linnets making their way home to roost across the sunset sky, flying in the distinctively undulating way they like to travel, and chatting to each each other as they went.

2019 birds:
82 Linnet