David Preston

Pair of Mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata), female on the left and male on the right, each standing on one leg on a moss-covered rock and both looking to their right, our left.

Pair of Mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata), female on the left and male on the right, each standing on one leg on a moss-covered rock and both looking forward.

Pair of Mandarin ducks hanging out by the river this morning, apparently playing a game where they copy each other's pose.

#birds #photography

It's a 🇬🇧 robin. See ALT text.

A Eurasian robin perched on a moss-covered branch, singing. They are very territorial and this is how they warn off competition.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #ShoutItOut, here's a robin letting rip.

#birds #photography

www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/res...

To paraphrase the late Mitch Hedberg, "What if lapwings just are blurry?"

Wide shot of a small island in an inland pool. On the island are five cormorants, two greater black-backed gulls and a swan. In the distance, three swans have their heads and necks under water, feeding on the bed of the pool.

Group shot from yesterday, posted more for interest than image quality. On the island are five cormorants, two greater black-backed gulls and a swan.

#birds #photography

Adult coot being followed by three chicks.

Now you come to mention it, yes, I have.

🤷‍♂️

Google Lens says it's LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin.

Common or Eurasian coot (Fulica atra) swimming on the surface of the water.

I don't usually bother much with coots, as they are just so common and plentiful. So much so that I didn't realise they have scary red eyes.

#birds #photography

From nearly 5,000 miles away, it looks like one. And Google Lens says it is.

Thank you.

I loved it. Pity it's so far away. Then again, in view of the weather, maybe that's not such a bad thing.

A Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) perches atop a post surrounded by water. Its back is to us but its head is visible in profile.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #PerfectLighting. This cormorant (although overseas viewers might know it as a great cormorant), I think, fits the theme nicely.

#birds #photography

Must admit I skipped Bergen. Cut across from Lillehammer to Ålesund.

If you can, do.

Not so much that you fall off your perch, I hope.

Porsangerfjorden (Porsáŋgguvuotna or Porsanginvuono) in Northern Norway, looking approximately south east from the 'toadstool rest area'. In the foreground is the flat rocky shore. The water of the fjord is a deep blue and a headland protrudes from the right. In the far distance is the opposite shore of Norway's fourth longest fjord.

Was looking to see if I had a #Stunday image to share and found this one of Porsangerfjorden in Norway last summer, taken on a Sunday, on my phone, when I parked up for the night after visiting Nordkapp.

#photography #landscape #seascape #Norway

Four Greylag geese (Anser anser) walking in line through marshland

Today's #birdoftheday theme is #FourOrMore, so here are four Greylag geese playing 'follow my leader'.

#birds #photography

It's beautiful in summer. Well, I suppose the scenery is wonderful any time, but good weather always helps. 🙂

There's (in my experience, at least) nowhere like it on earth. I probably won't drive up there again, but how was the cruise experience?

Serene landscape/seascape shot of a silhouetted low island in front of distant islands in the Lofoten Islands chain, themselves partially obscured by haze.

Quiet early morning scene in the Lofoten Islands last August.

#photography #landscape #seascape #Norway #Lofoten

…and Presiding Officers & Poll Clerks have to take a Declaration of Secrecy before the poll, which they take very seriously.

It might have all changed since I was involved, but it all seems a bit rum to me.

…be able to do this.

I suppose a Returning Officer might allow e.g. UN observers, but I think there would need to be a specific consent in place and the PO would need to be informed in advance.

There are procedures in place for the PO to help eg. a blind voter, but these instances are recorded…

…and are not allowed inside the Polling Station, but a tolerant Presiding Officer might allow them inside the building.

Presiding Officers have the authority to instruct a Police officer to arrest a suspected wrongdoer (for personation or whatever). This is unusual under UK law - for a civilian to…

Notes

This is/was UK and as already stated, long ago.

'Polling Station' is a very specific term and doesn't necessarily refer to the whole building, but more likely a single room or space within a room.

Tellers and other people working on behalf of political parties etc have no official status…

Long time since I was a Presiding Officer (40+ years), but unless rules have changed, only people who should be inside a Polling Station are

Returning Officer & their staff (PO & PC)
Voters
Police

Candidates & their Agents tend to call in and are tolerated

So what were these herberts doing there?

You might very well be right. As a life long labour supporter, I just hope they pick the right replacement.

How ever you spin the Gorton & Denton result, 66.1% to Green + Labour vs 30.6% to Reform + Tories is an encouraging sign that the right can be shown the door.

Congratulations to the Greens 💚 and 🖕 to Reform.

And there's still time for Starmer to give his head a wobble.

Fake Allister Heath clickbait headline - "By embracing 4-4-2, the Conservatives signed their own political death warrant"

More fun than it has any right to be.