2013: A Year in Pictures, January - March

It is only a week until the year 2013 ends and I see all kind od lists an overviews being published to reflect on the past 12 months. So I have looked in my photo archive and tried to find those pictures that symbolise my year in photography. Rather self indulgent, I know…but fun nevertheless. Some you may have seen before, but others have never been published in my blogs before. So here is the first of a series of four blogs to celebrate the beauty of nature.

January

If you think of January, you think of snow and ice after it failed to be there for Christmas. And indeed, there is a wintery pictures (or animals for that matter) to be shown. This Mallard Duck (Anas Platyrhynchos) flew quietly over the unfrozen water, But later in the month there was indeed ice and his mates were getting cold feet.

They still seem to be a little bit surprised that they cannot just swim, like the Gadwalls (Anas Strepera) are doing in the picture below.

That picture was taken in London Wetland Centre, of which I blogged in October.

 

 

February

Although it was still winter, I could imagine to be in the wild grassland of Africa when I saw this African Wild Dog (Lycaon Pictus) in London Zoo. I did show another picture in my blog on the Zoological Society London in March, but this one was still in my archive and unpublished.

Also in February, I saw a group of Shoveler Ducks (Anas Clypeata) enjoying the sun at the London Wetland Centre…I couldn’t resist taking a picture.

And so February came to a close and March was approaching. Spring was almost in the air.

 

 

 

 

March

These Tufted Ducks (Aythya Fuligula) were just to good to be true for a picture. Their bright yellow eyes are very typical and it shouldn’t be long before the mating season starts.

But with new life there is also death, as this picture of a Canada Goose (Branta Canadensis) shows. Rest assured. So far, this is the only dead animal I have taken a picture of.

And although I normally take pictures of birds and butterflies, the occasional mammal will not go amiss. Therefore I will end this blog on my pictures of the first three months of 2013 with a Giraffe and some Otters.

Next time I will show my pictures of the next three months, leading up to the glorious summer of 2013.