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'Clocks-Back' Sunday morning snooze for Owls

29/10/2013

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Feathered friend turns into 'FriendS'

As I pulled back the curtains last Sunday morning, grateful for the extra hour in bed, it seemed I was not the only one!

Clearly visible in the daylight, not one, as before, (see earlier blog post) but two Barn Owls, eyes closed snoozing away the morning. I ran upstairs to our son's room, which is virtually opposite their wall hole, and captured this amazing image.

I'd love them to be one male and one female. They can then be affectionately known as 'Robin' and 'Virginia' after our guests who spotted we had an Owl the week before. Anyone reading this who knows anything about Owl gender please let us know! (Quite liking the idea of an Owl called 'Robin'!).

GH
Barn Owls sleeping
Barn Owls sleeping, Arran, Scotland

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Pot of Gold waiting for you

29/10/2013

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Rainbows of Arran
Double rainbow over Blackwaterfoot beach, Arran, Scotland

Arran: Land of Rainbows

Maybe not the yellow shiny clinkety, clinkety stuff, but Arran can enrich the soul and deliver countless wealth in visual spectacle, day after day, all year round.

One of our first memories of Arran, from a visit in the autumn of 1998, is of jaw dropping panoramic rainbows which seemed to be everywhere and anywhere you turned. The late season's weather rarely remains constant, certainly in our corner of the island, and dramatic sky and seascapes are sure to be a part of your stay here on Arran.
Rainbow, Brodick on Arran Scotland
Panoramic rainbow on horizon - Brodick, Isle of Arran, Scotland
Only this morning I read that 'Lonely Planet' stated Scotland is in the top three countries to visit and with natural attractions such as these it is little wonder.

So come on. Grab a rucksack full of appropriate clothing, leave behind any ideas that the kids wont enjoy themselves without an X-Box and let them discover their own treasure just along our beach.

GH.

We already knew!> Lonely Planet says Scotland is third best country to visit http://t.co/FtgyqSSJMi #Arran

— Green Brae Barn (@ArranHoliday) October 29, 2013

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Maldives? No it's the Isle of Arran

28/10/2013

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Actively Breaking those Photography Rules

Beach decking at Brodick on ArranNew beach decking on 'Fishermans Walk' at Brodick on Isle of Arran
Okay, I hold my hand up with this one, it's been 'tweaked' but the light from the fading afternoon sunshine was pretty amazing, creating great shadows from the contrasting bleached uprights of the decking.

As I was playing with this image I started to realise that it actually breaks a standard 'rule' of photography (the rule of 'thirds') yet it still has a comfortable aesthetic, so why?

In a college 'print critique' sort of way, I started to analyse the shot I had taken. Not only does it break the rule of thirds, but it does so dramatically, by dividing the image exactly in half in such a way you can imagine the fold line. So my conclusion was this; the perfectly positioned yacht, and the small intersection with the handrail on the right both seem to smooth the eye's transition of the sharp line of sea and sky. The gentle stratus compliments the newly laid deck boards in a way that pure blue would not, all helping to balance out the 'error' of my compositional ways!

Do all of these thoughts pass through the mind of a photographer at the moment the shutter is pressed? Maybe, but if it does it's subliminal  Somehow an image forms in the head that's right for the moment and it ends up with what you see here.

Rules eh? Good to know but even better to break.


GH.


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Take a peek at our resident owls

27/10/2013

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Intriguing sound alerts guests 

We had been hearing strange 'rasping' noises outside our barn for a week or two, usually around dusk. I had been meaning to go and take a look, but it was our guests in Green Brae who pointed out that we had an Owl in residence!

The next evening I set up camera/tripod/flash with the longest lens I had available (300mm), pre-focused on the hole - where I was told it appeared from - and waited . . . 

As the light fell I started to see a blurred shape emerging from behind the rock. With still just enough ambient light available, the view through my lens revealed the character you see here and, as he/she(?) peered out I capture this image.

A moment or two later and the Owl moved forward and took flight from the barn, a picture I missed.  As it circled above in the still clear azure twilight, a silhouette of outstretched wings, I felt so privileged to witness such a creature for the first time. 

With virtually no light left to see by and, as I had moved the camera no chance to focus again on the hole, I thought I caught the presence of another shape. A second Owl? But more of that later!


Barn Owl Arran
First sighting or our resident Barn Owl on Arran
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A Seal, Lochranza Castle & Wordsworth

20/10/2013

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Picture

A Slumber did my Spirit Seal


A slumber did my spirit seal;
         I had no human fears:
She seemed a thing that could not feel
         The touch of earthly years.

No motion has she now, no force;
         She neither hears nor sees;
Rolled round in earth's diurnal course,
         With rocks, and stones, and trees.


BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

GH.

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It's just about a Beach Walk

16/10/2013

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Picture

Blackwaterfoot Beach, south west Arran

Walk on Blackwaterfoot beach and each time something will be different.

The light.

Intense and low; above Kintyre, amongst Kintyre, long shadow, no shadow?

The sea.

In, out, crashing, loud, alive and joyful, or still as stillness itself?

The sand.

Rippled, smooth, wet, dry; foot-printed, bird-printed, hoof-printed; sand-castled and dappled with coloured seaweed . . or . . not?

The sky.

Azure blue, burnt orange; rain-bowed and clouded, dark as night, fresh as day?

You cannot be bored on the beach.

GH.


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International Space Station visible over Arran

15/10/2013

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Picture

Bright Light appears at 20:08hrs

Earlier today there was talk on Twitter of the International Space Station (ISS) passing over the UK. I asked @VirtualAstro if there was a likely sighting up here on the Isle of Arran and the answer was a definite yes! Information showed the craft would pass by in the south west just after 8 o'clock.

Having never witnessed the ISS before and not knowing what to expect, I grabbed camera and tripod shortly before 8pm. Pointing roughly in the right direction with the edge of our barn in the frame, I did a couple of test shots and decided on the camera setting you can see below.

It would have been nice to have caught the trace of the light as it started over the buildings, but not knowing what I was looking for meant the realisation took me by surprise. I hit the camera shutter and held it down for what must have been at least a minute and then again for a further minute. This double shot meant a 'merge' in Photoshop and a slight gap in the continuation of the bright line.

Great to see and to capture.

Camera Setting of DSLR:

Speed: ISO 400
Aperture: f8
Shutter:  open on 'bulb' (b)
Focus:  on infinity

GH.

Twitter Question

@ArranHoliday Yes very visible

— Virtual Astronomer (@VirtualAstro) October 15, 2013
International Space Station
The International Space Station

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    Arran Blog

    Jacqueline and Geoff moved to the beautiful Isle of Arran in 2012, and have been visiting since 1998.

    With their hearts forever in Blackwaterfoot, they combine writing, storytelling and photographic talents, working on, and off the Island.


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