Photo-a-Day  (Monday, 22nd February, 2021)

Wow! That’s something special Andrew.

Beyond the gusts of wildly things,
Sails a breeze where Heaven sings,
towards a peace that only brings
the wings of silent calm.
Look beyond the clouds that be,
the harmony you gave to me ,
the solitude to be myself ,
when pain it comes and I am left,
with emptiness and void inside,
I look above but seek to hide,
but know that you are by my side,
I'll take each day with you..

A very short exposure, obviously, but a beautiful photo skillfully done.

Well done, Andrew.

Superb shot Andrew, thank you.

Wow !!
What else can you say to this photo ??

Absolutely beautiful.

That's an absolutely beautiful photo Andrew and Thank you.

Fab shot mate - good to see you back on POTD :)

These are known as flying rats.

Great shot Andrew well done.

Truly awesome!

Brilliant ! Good for a pen and ink drawing ...

a very suspect photo andrew

A nice photo Andrew . Quite spectral . His wings look like they're made from ice . A black headed gull I think , before he puts on the executioner's hood of his summer plumage .

I always like to see how different birds tuck their legs up in a aerodynamic position when in flight.
Andrew you have been away so long I was wondering if you was ill.

At first I thought it was a Barn Owl.

Arthur, why insist on calling birds flying rats..a pigeon won a medal equivalent to the George Cross for saving lives in 1942...tell me have you got one?.

A very special photo this,thank you for sharing.

What a beautiful and elegant bird caught in flight.
Thank you Andrew.

Like pigeons (the ones in towns) seagulls are flying rats greedy always stealing food off people and In many folks eyes they should not be fed.
People can get fined by the Councils in some towns.
I fully agree with Arthur.

Maureen Arthur didn't call birds flying rats he clearly said Seagulls. That I agree with.

There was no mention of seagulls.

The gull is only looking for food in harsh conditions . I think he's behaved with a higher degree of morality than the panic buyers and loo roll loonies of our own species . Two legged , talking rats the lot of them .

The dirtiest and greediest beings on the planet are humans.

Well said Maureen and Dick Dastardly.

Gulls only looking for food in harsh conditions I don't think so.
Go to the seaside in Summer and try eating outside with your family and friends,
You'll soon dislike them.

Maureen dear, Arthur didn't need to mention the Word seagull, obviously the photo is a gull.

Dick dastardly talks total rubbish and has not been on holiday to see gulls rob food off parents and children. Some local governments WILL prosecute for feeding stray pigeons and vermin birds like gulls in towns and cities, and that's a fact. They are simply a pest. If you bird lovers care and are really serious about them, buy some food to hang up in the garden, we need to help and protect our garden birds and great to watch. There is a real decline in all our garden birds since the 1970s.

The pigeon who won a medal was a homing pigeon, not a stray who flock in towns with dropping all over the place. If we don't feed them they'll slowly disappear.

Gulls and Pigeons:
These birds can cause real problems, including excessive nuisance and public health concerns. Urban birds such as gulls and pigeons are great opportunists, handed a ready food source and sheltered nesting sites these birds can grow rapidly and what initially attracted a few birds can soon become a thriving colony.
Fungal infections include Histoplasmosis and Cryptococcosis are carried within bird droppings from Seagulls.
Feral pigeons is widespread the pest are found in Towns, Cities and Rural settings.
Pigeons can harbour a large variety of diseases and insects on their bodies, its nest and fouling are also Public Health Concerns.
Pigeons are the most unhygienic and messy birds and actually carry more diseases than Rats.

Wiganer my love,you can't tell me anything about birds..any birds and the restrictions for feeding them that are placed everywhere you look..I feed the birds in my garden everyday, always have done.
It seems that my comment from last night hasn't been entered..it was to say that the dirtiest and greediest being on this God given earth is man.

And Women...Maureen.

Nice photo clear and crisp, but not the bird I'm afraid.

We had to call the pest control agency to kill pigeons that started to nest inside our workshops, honestly the droppings and muck was horrible. We didn't know that pigeons can breed all year round.
Thankfully they've all gone and our work place in clean.

Alan,I will leave that comment with your ignorance.

Thank you Public Health, I hope that's Educated many on this particular subject.

Yes Pigeons CAN breed all year round, a pest they are too.

When all is said and done they are all God's creatures. I think it's best not to feed them though, unlike the little birds. They wouldn't breed as much if they had to forage for themselves. I don't put bird food on the ground. On the other hand if folk didn't drop food on the ground there wouldn't be so many. I don't mind the odd pigeons but when there's throngs of them it's off putting, even scary, the same with seagulls. On holiday I have seen seagulls sweep down and take food out of children's hands. They can be over powering.

Rise above it Maureen, we all know there is nothing in this world as destructive as the human race..

I think we humans have spread more disease this past year than any seagull .

Edna and Dick Dastardly I couldn't agree more with the both of you.

True Veronica well said.

Thanks folks :-)

Mick, thanks for asking: I work frontline at Royal Preston Hospital and been working stupid hours for the last year due to Covid so no had much time to pick up the camera. We are beginning to turn the corner now so hopeful I can pick up the camera a bit more :-)

Andrew I'll drink to that, you do a great job and thanks to you and all your colleagues at the NHS.