Swan at Watermead Country Park, Leicester

As I also enjoy nature photography as well as landscapes, I’ve recently invested in a Canon 100-400mm lens which will allow me to get ‘closer’ to the action. So, a few weeks ago I was desperate to get out and try out the new equipment. After a bit of googling I discovered Watermead Country Park in Leicester, and headed out to see what I could capture!

On arrival I parked at the King Lear’s Lake Car Park and headed straight for the two bird hides that I’d spotted when driving in. Unfortunately, after waiting around a while I’d not caught any action of note, so headed round to King Lear’s Lake itself to see what I could find there.

The answer was swans, and lots of them! With the sky being extremely bright and the light quite harsh, balancing the exposure to keep detail in the white plumage of the swans was challenging.

Swan Lake

Whilst it was nice to get some swan photographs, unfortunately my time at the park was limited, and barely an hour after I arrived it was time to leave. On the walk out I caught some rustling in some bushes out of the corner of my eye. As I moved closer I noticed a number of long-tailed tits foraging for food. I edged closer, and waited for just the right moment when one of them emerged from behind the tangle of branches and paused just long enough for me to fire off a shot.

Long-tailed Tit

As soon as the photograph was taken he flew off, leaving the bush empty, and leaving me to walk back to my car happy with the results I achieved in a short space of time.

Photographs from this trip can be purchased from my gallery

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