Taking off

I headed over to The Vyne for another "Christmas fix" today.  The decorations in the house, themed around The Nutcracker story, were gorgeous.

Afterwards, I walked up to the bird hide over the nearby wetlands. The hide is not best positioned for photography as the main body of water is a long way away, and well beyond the reach of all but the longest lenses. However today (ever hopeful) I had lugged along the 100-500mm lens and new 1.4x extender.  It was the first real use I had of this combination, and I was not disappointed.

There was several pairs and/or young swans around who 2entertained the crowd" with their clumsy take-offs and landings.  If I remember correctly, my shot is of a take-off and it only slightly cropped in. Now all I need is brighter weather!