Solstice Sunrise

The alarm had been set for a 1.30 am start and we jumped onto the seat of the BMW having wrapped up warm for a through-the-early-hours ride with a fellow biker to make our way to Lowestoft Ness, the furthest east point in the UK. We were aiming to be there in time for the magic hour of 04.29, the official sunrise time for this furthest point of the country on the day of the summer solstice.

Soon after we set off, a small fingernail of a waning moon glowed almost blood red in the sky, and, as we headed east, the moon rose higher in the sky whilst turning a progressively paler shade of orange. As it did so, the light levels also began to lift, revealing the presence of thin cloud, which was forecast for dawn. We made good progress on the fairly empty roads, the commercial traffic being our main cause for the need to carry out overtaking manoeuvres at that hour, and arrived at the much understated Ness Point at 03.30. Having been to this point before, which is hidden away behind an industrial estate, we knew where to go but to any new adventurer, it is a place which is rather difficult to find as Lowestoft somehow doesn't seem too keen to shout about the fact they hold the accolade of the Eastern cardinal point.

We weren't the first to arrive even though we were almost an hour ahead of sunrise. A solitary cyclist stood motionless in the middle of special ground-based compass point as the sound of the huge whooshing landmark turbine swept the chilly rotations behind us. It was not long before a distinct rumble heralded the arrival of a group of Harley riders, swelling our numbers considerably, these determined motorcyclists being at the beginning of their challenge to see both sunrise and sunset at the extremities of England. Next stop for them, Lands End.

Not for us today though. We all watched and waited as the tiny stripe of glowing red began to divide the grey of the sea from the grey band of cloud which hung over the horizon. This was not going to be a stunning solstice sunrise. 

 

A faint colour wash began to appear in the clear sky above the cloud, heralding the emergence of the sun on this day, which for many, has a significance or fascination. We were there because we could be there, others, because they needed to be there.

Looking out to the East along with the now sizeable crowd, a passing Druid wished us a happy solstice day as the sun's rays finally clipped the top of the cloud, tinting the gentle waves with a soft golden glow.
The day now well under way, we jumped back on the bikes to head along the coast, where another group motorcyclists were waiting for us to join them for some welcome breakfast.
In sleepy Cromer? Not a chance at that hour, so instead we headed for home.
This was the solstice sunrise over for another year.

Hunter's Moon

Monday 29th October was the night of the full moon - the Hunter's Moon or the Sanguine Moon.

Having presented the Harvest Moon to you back in September, I wanted to follow on with the full Hunter's Moon. Sadly, circumstances were not in my favour yesterday, so this evening, I grabbed the opportunity to take some shots of the marginally waning Hunter's Moon, rising over Audley End House.

The clear sky which was present as I left home soon changed to a slightly cloudy sky, which rendered a clear shot of the moon near on impossible. However, as October is drawing to a close, the cloud simply added to the atmosphere, as did the (not so obvious) mist which was rising off the river.

Harvest Moon

I stood outside in the chill, stillness of dusk. As the robin was singing a goodnight melody and the bats flitted overhead, the bright moon was rising in the eastern sky.

It was the moon that I was waiting for. A special moon; the Harvest Moon.

Ok, let's come back down to earth from the poetic idyll.
So, you say, it looks the same as any other full moon, what makes this one special?
The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox and is said to have gained the name due to the useful light it gave during the busy harvest time, thus extending the working hours.

According to my diary, the equinox was on 22nd September and the full moon is today, 30th September. Right? Well, yes, it is and we all seem to have the notion that the full moon should be in the middle of the night, making the moment of full moon during the hours of darkness tonight. Which is why last night I went out with my camera for the set-up shot, ready for THE shot tonight. That is fine as far as it goes, but if you really want to split hairs, I have already missed the moment of the full moon. That occurred at 4.19 this morning, on the 30th, which in sleeping terms, equates to last night and I certainly wasn't around for that moment. By tonight, when I set up the camera again (clouds permitting) the moon will be on the wane again but to most un-trained eyes, no-one will notice the difference. Therefore, I will try for a more exciting shot of the Harvest moon tonight, seeing as I was thwarted by a patch of cloud during the lovely deep blue dusk sky phase last night. If I don't manage another shot, at least I have these two but then...
there is another opportunity with the Hunter's Moon also known as the Sanguine Moon. This is the next full moon after the Harvest Moon, apparently named for a similarly obvious reason.

And the poetry? Actually, it really was a lovely evening.







Wonderful...  TW
 
The sky never ceases to wow, does it?  KL

Excellent !  DC

Lunar Eclipse v. Moon Halo

2011 has been special in the lunar eclipse calendar as there were two occasions when a total lunar eclipse occurred. The first was on 15th June, when, you may recall, I attempted to photograph the event - with little success. (See Totally Eclipsed) The second was yesterday, 10th December, when once again, due to unsuitable weather conditions, the event escaped my lens.

However, I have not come away from the event empty-handed. My better half was returning from an evening out when he beckoned me to go outside at 10.30pm, and "Look at a ring around the moon". It was certainly worth a try at a photograph, so quickly donning some warm clothes, I plonked the camera on the tripod and took a series of images on different exposures and time settings. Eventually a 30 second exposure provided this image, with just a few simple post-production adjustments of the levels.

Instead of a lunar eclipse, I had captured a moon halo a phenomenon that occurs due to the presence of ice crystals high up in the atmosphere. Whilst not the red-eclipse moon I had hoped for, it was something equally beautiful. (Even if it is supposed to foretell bad weather)

So, until 15th April 2014, when there will be the next opportunity for a total lunar eclipse, (if I am in the right continent at the time) here is my version of the December lunar eclipse.

Lost the Bucks

07.27h. 1/50 sec. f 6.3. 800 ISO @400mm

Having been away in Ireland for a couple of weeks, I was interested to see how the Fallow deer rut had progressed in that time. Thankfully, with sunrise coming a little later now, I was afforded a few extra minutes in bed over my last rut visit. However, a clear moonlit morning also means chilly and it certainly was that. It took over an hour for me to warm up when I got home, but the chill was worth seeing some lovely does.

According to my favourite wildlife expert, Simon King, the Fallow deer rut peaks around the 20th October, so with that, I thought I might still be in with a chance of seeing the big boy at work. So fleeced; double-fleeced and camou-net-curtained, I once again sat and waited for the nocturnal greys to turn to colour. Sure enough, a stream of deer trickled out from the woodland behind me, and into the field. A few metres to my right it was a stream of white deer that shimmered in the half-light. A few metres to my left, a stream of menil deer camouflaged against the hedge line. They all wandered in front of me before jumping around as if troubled by a terrible itch. I had never seen them so frisky. Two deer even ran a circuit of the field, their little hooves stomping as they raced by, their heavy breathing clearly audible. Could this behaviour mean they were anticipating a visit by the big boy himself?

The light was getting better and I was able to shift my ISO as I waited for his arrival.
I waited.
Not a bellow.
Not a glimpse.
In fact, not one mature buck put in an appearance.
This must surely signal that the rut is over for this year and the apparent jumping for joy by the does is due to them losing the bucks (having done what they needed to of course).

So it seems as though our Fallow deer peaked early and my gotcha sighting of them back in the middle of September was it for this year. I'm so glad I started this rut-watch early or I would have missed all the excitement. So, now I know how to plan for next year.

Totally Eclipsed

As I sat at my kitchen table on Monday evening, watching a wonderful near-full moon rising over the end of my garden, I planned just how I would view the special full, red-moon total-eclipse that was due for Wednesday evening. Considering the dry weather we have had here over the past few months, the chance of cloud seemed pretty slim, so a tripod set-up from the roof-top window might be just the thing.

Wednesday evening arrived, so did the clouds.
Totally eclipsed, not-a-chance.

As I sat at my kitchen table late on Thursday evening, watching a wonderful just-past-full moon rising over the end of my garden, I lamented the missed photo opportunity. Not to be beaten, I grabbed the little p&s, clicked it onto nightshot and captured trees eclipsing the moon.

So, until December, when there is supposed to be another opportunity, here is my version of the June Lunar Eclipse.

Three legs with two legs + four legs?

If there are two things that don't go together they are wildlife photography and dog walking.
Today I was (foolishly) trying to do both out of necessity, as I am in sole charge of our four-legged friend for the next couple of days. As the sun had happily graced us with its presence today I thought I would grab a few evening shots on our walk out at the woods. To ensure that I stood a vain chance of spotting anything exciting I kept mutt on the lead, but as expected, that white stag and his girls were just too wise to show even their noses to this wrestling duo.
Why wrestling? Well, each time I tried to put the camera to my eye, I would have to clamp the end of the lead between my knees, as, with the ground beneath my feet resembling a mud bath I had already (sensibly) dismissed the option of standing on it. This enforced restraint was just too much for her with those enticing wafts of beckoning scents and after a minute of patiently sitting next to me, she started the binding process. Feeling trussed up like a spiders next dinner, I swung the camera back on my shoulder and unwound myself from the mess, mindful of the fact that me, dog and camera could all end up in a heap in the mud.
It was at this point I suddenly wished my camera was securely on top of a tripod, fulfilling two roles. One of keeping the kit out of this wrestling action and the other of allowing some stability for those tricky evening exposure times. Actually, it was a stupid wish on this occasion, as it would only have been another awkward walking companion. Apart from which, that particular piece of kit is currently on (pain of death!) loan to my dearest who is away for the next couple of days.
So, in the absence of any wildlife and with no three legged assistant, I resorted to a fence post as an impromptu monopod and took a shot at the one thing that stayed still for long enough - the lovely (almost) full moon, before two legs + four legs rambled back for tea.