Sunday 16 December 2012

A Frosty Morning Stroll.


Last week I decided to take a stroll in Richmond Park on a cold and very frosty morning. Initially the landscape  seemed deserted of any wildlife but it wasn't long before I spotted a small group of Fallow Deer exceptionally well camouflaged amongst the frosty grasses.

A Fallow Buck showing its distinctive rear view.

A much younger buck gave me a brief glance before heading of into the frosty undergrowth.

As usual there were plenty of squawking Ring-necked Parakeets flying around and while I snapped a quiet individual perched overhead I also noticed Song Thrushes, Redwings and Blackbirds dropping down to feed around the base of the trees. Bearing in mind the recent drop in temperatures I wasn't surprised to find that most of the water on the two main ponds was frozen over with many of the ducks; Mallard, Tufted, Wigeon, Gadwall and Pochard plus Coot occupying a distant patch of clear water close to the central island.
 A female Shelduck decided to brave the thin ice in order to get a drink.


While nearby a Carrion Crow kept a beady eye on me!
Other sightings included Jackdaw, Magpie, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Cormorant, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Little Grebe, Egyptian Geese and Kestrel. It was good to get out in the fresh, frosty air with the camera again.

Reason for my blogging absence: A little while ago I experienced an very unusual event which led to an unplanned early morning trip by ambulance to a local hospital. Some four hours later I was eventually allowed home but referred to a Respiratory Specialist. After various tests including a C.A.T. scan and a Bronchoscopy I finally received the 'all clear' last week but still no clear explanation as to the cause of the initial problem. So with my mind put at ease everything should now return to normal with some minor adjustments to my lifestyle and hopefully some more regular blog posts in the future.    FAB.

20 comments:

  1. the health scare was no fun, i'm sure! and without a clear explanation...

    i love that tree (or what's left of it) and your sweet duck with cold feet. :)

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  2. Its good to hear you are OK Frank and that we all get to see your excellent posts again. However take it steady out there and pace your self.

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  3. Hi Frank...I just love that tree branch!
    The deer shots are mystical looking or make that should be frostical :)
    Walking on thin ice...okay for a duck he can always fly if it starts to crack ..the Shelduck is a beauty !!
    Glad that all turned out okay with your health problem, hard when you can't get reasons for these thing though!!
    Grace

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  4. Welcome back to blogland Frank. Sorry to hear about your recent 'setback' and hope you're now back to full and fighting fitness once again.

    You captured a great selection of shots from your (cold) walk around Richmond Park. Our cold snaps, thankfully brief at the moment, certainly throw up some different photo opportunities...[;o)

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  5. Good to see you back Frank, and a great set of pictures.

    Quite a scare you had. Hope there's no more for you. Keep well mate.

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  6. I was wondering where you were! Welcome back, and I'm glad to hear that all is well. Since you've been gone, I've had cataract surgery on both eyes. My goodness, what a difference that made! I have an appt. at month's end to get a new glasses prescription. The surgeon inserted a distance lens in each eye, so I'll still need reading and computer glasses.

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  7. P.S. Forgot to even comment on your photos! They're very nice as always!!

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  8. We've missed you and glad you are OK!!
    And a beautiful series to start back with - truly lovely images!

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  9. It's good to see you back on the blog. I was afraid that you have given up blogging.
    I'm sorry to hear about a health problem and hope that it will not return.

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  10. Good to see you back Frank and glad you've got the all clear. Great images.

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  11. Hi Everyone.

    Thanks for dropping by and I appreciate all your good wishes. I spent some time today tracking down some more Fallow Deer so should have some pics for another post very soon.

    Cheers FAB.

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  12. Glad to see you're back, Frank.

    Love the second deer shot...looks like a Christmas card! Also...the photo of the Ring-necked Parakeet seems so out of place in a frosty local. I always think of them as tropical birds.

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  13. Have I been missing you? I just happened to see a comment on another blog, made by you and thought, wow, I have missed Frank. These are very great image shares too. I have been kind of missing in action, for the most part a few weeks, but hopefully will be back on a more routine basis soon~

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  14. Wishing you the very Happiest and Healthiest New Year Frank :-)

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  15. So glad you are back, Frank, I have been checking for your return, Lovely pictures of Richmond Park,
    I was born in Richmond so wonderful evocative scenes, take care of your self all good wishes for the new year.

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  16. Beautiful set Frank. I love the shelduck on ice a lot. Happy new year mate.

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  17. A really fascinating tree shape in the first photo.

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I hope you enjoyed your visit and I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

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