Poised

The story behind the image:

Elvis, my nickname for the male (king of the river) seeks out his prey from a favourite fishing perch. I know his regular haunts like the back of my hand and so I pick one and settle down to wait. Sometimes he arrives within minutes (though this hardly ever happens), other times I wait an hour or two, often much longer. In the summer I could stay the entire day - up to twelve hours if the light is good and I think there’s a chance for a shot.

There are days, weeks even, when he doesn’t turn up at all but I am never disappointed. There is so much peace and beauty by the banks of this river, always something to mesmerise me.

This picture was captured in mid December - a time I like because the foliage is gone, making it easier to see this beauty perched in the twigs.

In this print I am struck by the cycles of nature, how already in December the new buds are emerging on the branch, preparing themselves for the coming spring.

You might also like to see the action images that happened immediately after this shot was captured - Hover Upbeat and Hover Downbeat

Displayed together, they tell a more compelling story.