River Lagan Walks. Part Nine

I was only out of the car on this evening out and I was confronted with this beautiful young Grey Heron standing tall on one leg at the end of this rotten branch overhanging the River Lagan.

What baffled me was, where was its left leg tucked into.

Heron’s are such beautiful river birds, which I never tire of photographing, whether they are Grey Heron’s like this one, or Great Blue Heron’s, both are a pleasure to photograph, and an amazing treat when they cross my path as I slowly walk along the River Lagan towpath in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

I love the detail my Nikon CoolPix P900 camera captures in most photographs.

I mean, just look at the beauty of this magnificent river bird, as it stands relaxed on the rotten branch.

When I see the results of my photography when I get home and upload my photographs to my laptop I am stunned by the beauty of the wildlife I have captured.

You see dear reader, I do not know how good my photographs are until I get home, or when others compliment them in person or online.

The greenery around the Grey Heron helps to set off my photographs, like picture perfect photography, arranged by Mother Nature herself.

This is why Photography is my Therapy and Writing is my Passion.

EasyJet, along with British Airways have been constant flyers throughout the pandemic, leaving and arriving at Belfast City Airport and Belfast International Airport, and even though I only get out for an hour a week due to illness, I can still see the difference in the air traffic since the travel bans and restrictions begin to ease, though this move is madness as the corona virus continues to claim its victims Earth-Wide.

You can never mistake British Airways with any other Airline, which is a success story in branding, even though all Airlines are struggling through the pandemic, with several even buckling and ceasing to be.

At present travel is for the rich who can afford to quarantine when they return home again, who even stay in the best hotels and villa’s.

This is the first time I have seen this sign up at the beginning of the River Lagan Towpath heading towards Lagan Meadows in the last 8 months and restrictions are being eased!

For signs being put up in a public pathway is very strange indeed, but it also shows those with eyes to see that this evil virus is far from being over in June 2021.

It seems Belfast City Council are preempting another surge of Covid-21.

As those who read my little stories on Vocal.Media.com or in my River Lagan Walks books available on Amazon.com-Aunidan Christi will know, I call the Robin Red Breasts the Old Faithful’s because they are never far away when you walk slowly along, and if you bring seeds, oats or even cheese with you, you will get amazing photographs just like mine.

I never tire of photographing the little Robin Red Breasts because not one of them is the same, each one is different in sizes and shapes from another, and they all have their own characters and personalities.

I love photographing all of the creatures of Mother Nature, whether big, medium like this Song or Wood Thrush or small like the Robin Red Breasts and Blue Tits.

Every creature is beautiful in its own way as you can see from my photographs in and around the River Lagan, her towpaths, parks and pathways.

My friend Noel is the Master of feeding the Robin Red Breasts on the River Lagan towpaths because he has been doing it for daily for many years.

It was Noel who taught me how to feed the little birds along the River Lagan towpaths, which I now do on regular basis to my delight and pleasure.

Being so close to a creature of nature is not only a magical experience, but also a Spiritual experience.

I love the way my Nikon CoolPix P900 camera captures the Robin Red Breast in mid-flight between the tree branch and seed box.

As I have written before in my other River Lagan Walks stories here on Vocal.Media.com and my books available on Amazon.com-Aunidan Christi, you have to be patient with the little birds because on most mornings or evenings out and about in Mother Nature, many others pass you by in a hurry, which makes the little birds retreat from you, plus they have to trust you as well, but when you eventually make that connection with a creature from nature, the seconds are magical, and even better if you can capture those seconds in photographs.

Recently I have been practicing with the smaller creatures of the Earth-Plane such as this White-Tailed Bumblebee, with amazing results as you can see dear reader.

I love the detail my Nikon CoolPix P900 camera captures in all my photographs, but capturing the small creatures is special, and if you look to the top of this photograph, about 12 o’clock, then you will see that I have captured a Spider along with the Bumblebee.

Monty who travels along the River Lagan towpaths with Noel and myself loves to take a dip in the River Lagan, but rather him than me, plus he loves carrying a stick, in water or out of it.

In his younger days Monty would have swam across the River Lagan without pause, but now he is old, and knows not to venture too far into the River Lagan.

I noticed this Mallard Hen sprucing up in front of her Drake.

I noticed her and her drake beside her on the River Lagan, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

So the courting season must still be in vogue this 2021 and will go on until the end of July, which why there are small, medium and large Ducklings swimming up and down the River Lagan in Belfast, Northern Ireland this June 2021.

Meet the Mallard Hen’s Drake, watching over her until they mate and she gives birth to their young, but then his job is over and he heads off to moult with the other Drakes of his Duck family.

The Hen then brings up her young alone, though the Ducklings grow and learn quickly from their mother.

Now as this River Lagan Walk was coming to an end this warm evening out, another Heron graced our path, but this time it was a Great Blue Heron.

I was a bit worried about the Mallard Hen and her Ducklings passing this Great Blue Heron standing tall in the River Lagan looking for a meal, and as you can see from the photograph featuring the Mallard Hen and Ducklings, the Ducklings would make a nice snack for a Great Blue Hero, but thankfully this did not happen.

Because they are such a big bird flying around the River Lagan or standing in it or around it, the Heron’s mesmerise me.

They look like a great bird left over from prehistoric times.

I love the way I and my camera have captured the reflection of the Great Blue Heron on the River Lagan.

It seems Great Blue Heron’s like a good scratch as we do, the only difference is, human beings could not stand on one leg to do it without falling over.

The Great Blue Heron is really enjoying its good scratch on the River Lagan in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The Great Blue Heron’s are such a beautiful River Bird, who always captures my eyes whenever I see them out and about on the River Lagan, young and old.

I love taking many photographs with different angles when the subject, like this Great Blue Heron, and Grey Heron stay around for a while like they both did in this Vocal.Media.com story and warm evening out.

Never enter the River Lagan, no matter where in its journey it passes you, because the River Lagan is not only a very dangerous river, but also has plenty of human waste and pollution within it.

Mother Nature is the Mistress Artist who nobody can compare with.

Just look at her beauty, whether wild or man or woman planted.

Everything is blooming beautiful when it blooms in Spring and Summer, which brightens up my short walks when I am able to get out from isolation within my apartment.

You see dear reader as mentioned before, I am on a Red Flag List due to recurring chest infections since November 2019, so I am not going out with family or friends until I get the results, either good or bad of my future Cat-Scan.

Well that is part nine of my River Lagan Walks over and I hope you enjoyed it and it has inspired you to get out and about in Mother Nature to capture some amazing photography like mine and I only use my photography for my health, mental health and well-being and am not a professional at it, though looking at my photography so far captured here in my Vocal.Media.com stories, and in my River Lagan Walks books available on Amazon.com-Aunidan Christi, I should be making a living from not only my writing, but also from my photography.

Maybe someday.

So check out my River Lagan Walks books and my Spiritual Truth books on Amazon.com-Aunidan Christi

If you would like to invest in my books and projects which will come from them, the drop me an Email: [email protected]

Plus if you can support me in any way then please leave me a tip on Vocal.Media.com as others have done, who I am so thankful too, but you can also donate to my tasks and mission via: paypal.me/aunidanchristi64

Thank you in advance and once more I hope you like my stories and poetry here on Vocal.Media.com

Best Regards

Aunidan