River Lagan Walks. Part Ten.

My River Lagan Walks began in October 2020 due to a kind neighbour Noel suggesting I come out for short walks with him and the Dogs, Monty and Maddie.

At first I said no, but with me being confined indoors for most of the last 12 years due to cluster headaches, PTSD, sciatica and other mobility problems long before the corona virus ever came along I decided to get out of my apartment for an hour or so a week.

I bought an Nikon CoolPix P900 for some reason several months before I began to go out, which I couldn’t really afford, but why I bought it has become clear over the months since beginning my River Lagan Walks 8 months ago.

My River Lagan Walks coincided with my Brain Injury Matters zoom classes pertaining to photography and writing, with even my photography being used in the zoom art classes by the fellow Brain Injury Matters members in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which is nice to see and a compliment to my gift of photography.

I never thought when I began my River Lagan Walks in October last year that I would capture anything, let alone the thousands of amazing photographs I have captured, of amazing wildlife and scenery, and man made flying crafts we travel in, though over the last 19 months air Travel has been scant in the air, which meant walks were quieter.

With my Nikon CoolPix P900 camera I don’t have to be close to a subject to photograph it, which is why I love it.

I mean if my Autumn photographs are not close enough, check out the daylight Moon in my next photograph.

When I began to practice with my Nikon CoolPix P900 camera I was stunned by the amazing photographs I was capturing with the help of this amazing camera.

Now I know their are bigger Nikon cameras which can zoom into subjects closer, but take a look at my photographs and tell me these photographs are not amazing, and they were taken with me holding my camera by hand, which is even more amazing.

I am just amazed at the detail of a Heavenly Body that is supposed to be around 250,000 miles away and how close I can get to it.

Just look how close I have zoomed into the beautiful Moon, and I could have gone closer if I had had my camera mounted on a tripod, which I have yet to do.

There is so much to explore in and around the River Lagan, her towpaths, parks and pathways and all of it is beautiful in its own way.

Even the River Lagan Canal has its character and beauty which is why it caught my eyes, mind and imagination this evening out.

There are many hidden pieces of animal art as you walk slowly along, if you have eyes to see that is, so kept your eyes peeled if you are walking along the River Lagan, her towpaths, parks and pathways.

You will get many opportunities to take amazing photographs in and around the River Lagan, her towpaths, parks and pathways so take your time as you walk along lest you miss out on the beauty all around you.

My rule is, if it catches my eyes, mind and imagination then I photograph it before the subject either changes as the light changes or the wildlife, or flying craft moves on, so always have your camera ready for those special photographs.

As you are learning from my little stories here on Vocal.Media.com and will learn through my River Lagan Walks books on Amazon.com-Aunidan Christi if you check them out, I love photographing anything and everything that catches my eyes, mind and imagination.

The Mallard Hens are lying eggs and giving birth to their next generations of Ducks, which takes place from late March to the end of July, which is why the Mallard Ducklings along the River Lagan are in different stages of growth.

This gives the Mallard Duck Ducklings a better chance of surviving until they are old enough to fly and avoid predators.

I love my last photograph because of how my Nikon CoolPix P900 camera captures this second of the River Gull taking off, which is truly amazing and why I love Photography as my Therapy and Writing as my Passion because both compliment each other perfectly, which is why I love my Vocal.Media.com stories being accepted by their panel because someone believes they are good enough for others to read, which is a true bonus while still self-isolating while many others take a chance with this dangerous virus.

Now matter when you visit the River Lagan, be it Autumn, Winter, Spring or Summer her beauty is beyond compare for me anyway.

The old faithful Robin Red Breasts are never far from you as you walk along the River Lagan towpaths, parks and pathways, so carry seeds with you to feed them in return for amazing photographs of them.

The Mallard Drakes are never far way from you either and are well worth photographing for their amazing beauty and colours.

When the Drakes are finished mating with their partner, they then leave them and moult and have nothing more to do with their Hens or Ducklings.

Once more a beautiful Great Blue Heron presents itself for me to photograph, which I did.

I love the blue plumage of the Great Blue Heron’s and their amazing patterns within that plumage.

Even their blue pigtail is cool.

Look how beautiful this Great Blue Heron looks as it fly’s along the River Lagan in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

I just love the Heron’s who visit the River Lagan in Belfast, Northern Ireland, whether they are Great Blue Heron’s or Grey Heron’s because both are beautiful in their own way.

Just look how beautiful this Great Blue Heron is with its amazing colours and psychedelic plumage which just draws you in as you look at it.

The beautiful Blue Tits are normally joining the Robin Red Breasts to feed, but in recent weeks in June they have disappeared, which is strange, so this photograph at present is a rare one.

I never know what is around the next corner as I walk along the River Lagan towpaths, but take your time, because the wildlife appears at times as if by magic, so always keep your camera handy, which I did when this Grey Heron appeared looking at itself in the River Lagan.

The young Robin Red Breasts are out with their parents learning the ropes of their new lives.

It is only recently that I have noticed the beauty of the Mallard Drakes as you can see in my last photograph.

When you see them upon the River Lagan and photograph them, you do not see their true beauty until you return home and upload your photographs to your laptop or technology devices, where only then you see the true beauty of what you have captured.

It was good to see this little Robin Red Breast heeding the corona virus restrictions on the River Lagan Towpath in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

When I first saw the strange things in some trees along the River Lagan towpath, at first I thought they were birds nest, but watching Spring-Watch on BBC2 one night, I got the answer to my question of what they are, “Witches Brooms,” which a parasite growth.

Once more I feature a beautiful Mallard Drake reflected on the River Lagan.

The colours of the Mallard Drake are once more amazing.

No matter where you walk along the River Lagan, and I have only been along it for a few miles each way in South Belfast, but no matter where you walk along the River Lagan, her towpaths, parks and pathways the scenery is simply amazing.

This is the first time I have photographed a Robin Red Breast with food in its mouth for its young, wherever their nest is.

I tried to tempt it down with some seeds, but this mother Robin was not letting go of her booty for some seeds, which just goes to show how important live insects are for its young.

Once more my attention is diverted from the wildlife to a man made Jetliner flying at 33,000 feet, and this time the Airline is Air France flying over Northern Ireland.

I use high flying Aircrafts to practice with the zoom on my Nikon CoolPix P900 camera and as you can see the results are amazing.

The Robin Red Breasts are one of my favourite little birds because they have been my constant companions over the last 8 months of my River Lagan Walks.

A sunlit morning lifts my body and Soul, especially when it is a warm morning like this one, which means Summer has eventually arrived this 2021.

This is another first for me, because I have never photographed a Blackbird and Robin Red Breast sharing the seeds I had put down on the River Lagan Towpath.

Blackbirds do come down to feed on the seeds Noel and myself leave down for the Robin Red Breasts and Blue Tits, but it is a rare sight, well worth photographing, as I did.

It is also a compliment to me that the Brain Injury Matters art classes chose some of my photographs to paint in the BIM art classes, which is a good boost for my gift of photography, plus it makes me proud that others find my photography good enough to turn into art.

Daniela Balmaverde is the Artist who takes the art class at Brain Injury Matters, and though I am not good at art, I can still enter my art of photography to the art class, who then paint some of them as you are seeing.

Once more a member of Brain Injury Matters has painted my photograph of the Great Blue Heron and as you can see, these Artists, especially with acquired brain injuries and various other disabilities are excellent Artists, which I cannot compete with.

Yet we all have our own talents, of which mine is photography, writing, poetry, and some abstract art.

Once more I put this photograph forward to the Brain Injury Matters art classes and some within the class painted it, which once more lifted my spirits.

The Artists, under the direction of Daniela Balmaverde are simply amazing and well worth exposure within my Vocal.Media stories and my River Lagan Walks books.

Once more my male Chaffinch takes centre stage on a birthday card a member of Brain Injury Matters made in the BIM art class.

I gave them permission to use my photographs for their art, and they gave me permission to use their art of my photography here in Vocal.Media.com and within my River Lagan Walks books.

As those read my stories here on Vocal.Media.com and in my River Lagan Walks books available on Amazon.com-Aunidan Christi will know, I do not only photograph amazing wildlife.

I also photograph amazing scenery and manmade aircraft’s.

Once more it is a British Airways Jet leaving Belfast City Airport that catches my eyes as I slowly walk along the River Lagan towpath in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

I will be interesting to see how busy the skies become if all travel bans are lifted, though at present in Northern Ireland the Indian variant is doing the rounds in most parts of country.

As I was photographing the British Airways Jet above my attention was switched quickly to this amazing Grey Heron flying along the River Lagan in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which is a truly amazing photograph even though I say so myself.

You never know the second when beautiful wildlife will cross your path, so I am always ready for those split seconds of photography when they come along.

As I am revealing to the reader, a few seeds upon you seat can bring down the Robin Red Breasts to land beside you to feed as this beautiful Robin Red Breast has done.

As I walked along this time out I noticed the Sun had a Halo around it, so I quickly photographed it because I have never photographed a Sun Halo before or since.

I see Moon Halo’s at times, but never a Sun Halo, but this could be because I am confined indoors most days and don’t see them.

This amazing photograph is another first for me, an Eurasian Bullfinch with its amazing colours and patterns, which is why I love photography as my therapy, which lifts my Soul by how good it is.

To be continued…

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Best Regards

Aunidan