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tarka79.bsky.social
Ben
@tarka79.bsky.social
1.1K followers 680 following 890 posts
Pilot, photographer, astronomer, Britpop nostalgist, book reader, swimmer, walker, very amateur Egyptologist & professional number wrangler.

Photos taken by me unless stated otherwise.
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tarka79.bsky.social
The moon last night and this morning

(just a quick iPhone photo in both cases)

#photography #astrophotography #moon #EastCoastKin
The gibbous moon at night seen through the branches of an olive tree The gibbous moon against a clear blue sky
December 10, 2025 at 9:01 AM
tarka79.bsky.social
Introduce yourself with five animals you’ve seen in the wild:

Red squirrel
Whale shark
Black bear
Monitor lizard
Equatorial Spitting Cobra*

*at a distance of 30cm. While I was in a jacuzzi. A memorable experience!
kizzia.bsky.social Kizzia Mildmay @kizzia.bsky.social · 2d
Introduce yourself with five animals you’ve seen in the wild:

Fox
Badger
Stoat
Manatee
Alligator
sunlitlake.bsky.social Sunlitlake @sunlitlake.bsky.social · 2d
Introduce yourself with five animals you've seen in the wild

Orca
Fur Seal
Golden Eagle
Black Bear
Stag Beetle
December 7, 2025 at 6:29 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
A late entry for #BlueSkyArtShow #sky theme

#photography #EastCoastKin #nature #skyscape
The low sun shining behind scattered clouds over a beach.
December 6, 2025 at 10:30 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
A beautiful frosty morning after all of yesterday’s rain!

#photography #landscapephotography #EastCoastKin #skyscape #winter #London
A view over frosty grass towards bare trees and houses behind. The morning sun is shining through high cloud.
December 5, 2025 at 10:35 AM
tarka79.bsky.social
Overcast and raining today, so sharing a photo from yesterday morning when it was far more pleasant!

#photography #EastCoastKin #landscapeohotography #skyscape #cloud #nature
The morning sun shining through layered clouds, with silhouetted buildings at the bottom of the image.
December 4, 2025 at 9:42 AM
tarka79.bsky.social
Passed this crow this morning, who seemed happy to pose for a photo.

#birds #photography #nature #London #crow #EastCoastKin
A crow, perched on the edge of a large stone bird path. A grassed area is behind, with buildings behind. A path crosses from bottom right to top left with Victorian style lampposts.
December 3, 2025 at 9:48 AM
tarka79.bsky.social
Christmas Tree decorations are done!

#photography #Christmas #Advent #tree
A close up of part of a decorated Christmas tree, with a multicoloured bauble on the right, a hare and an angel on the left at a Christmas pudding centre. White fairy lights illuminate the scene.
December 1, 2025 at 6:45 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
I’ve started receiving marketing emails describing now (30th November) as already being in the ‘last minute’ zone for Christmas gifts!
November 30, 2025 at 1:36 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
A warm sunset for #BlueSkyArtShow #warmth

#photography #EastCoastKin #landscapephotography #sunset #nature
An orange sunset seen across a field, looking under the branches of a tree. Sea is visible in the distance
November 29, 2025 at 4:24 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
Had a delayed train this morning, but it meant I could take this.

#photography #landscapephotography #railway #EastCoastKin
A view down railway lines, with bare trees on the right and railway buildings on the left. The sky is clear, with the low sun centre left, reflecting on the tracks.
November 26, 2025 at 2:08 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
Not had a chance to much photography recently, so a picture of the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome from the archives

#photography #CityScape #Rome #Italy #EastCoastKin #Bridge #landscapephotography
A stone bridge over a river, with three arches. Large stone statues are at road level over the supports. The scene is at dusk, with the bridge illuminated and reflected in the river. A further bridge is beyond, and low rise urban buildings on either bank
November 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
Beautiful clear skies today after yesterday’s rain!

#photography #EastCoastKin #landscapephotography #stunday
A small circular sandstone monument, with an open door and a statue within. Trees are behind and the sky a cloudless blue.
November 23, 2025 at 10:10 AM
tarka79.bsky.social
#BlueSkyArtShow #Small flowers

#photography #EastCoastKin #bloomscrolling #flowers
A cluster of tiny purple flowers against a background of green foliage.
November 22, 2025 at 4:15 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
If you see this, post your getaway vehicle:
November 22, 2025 at 2:41 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
Still very chilly (but in a nice, crisp, clear sky way) today, so here’s a photo of a very festive Royal Exchange taken yesterday.

#photography #EastCoastKin #London #CityScape #Christmas
The Royal Exchange in the City of London at night. The building is in the style of a Greek temple, the columns wrapped in white fairy lights. A large Christmas tree is in front, with a London bus to the right. An equestrian statue on a high pedestal is in front of the building
November 20, 2025 at 2:37 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
The Christmas lights are all up now (although I’ll wait until December for mine!)

#photography #EastCoastKin #cityscape #London #Christmas #tree
A London square with tall leafless trees at night. They are all wrapped with thousands of white fairy lights.
November 19, 2025 at 9:18 AM
tarka79.bsky.social
After a mild (if wet) November so far it’s turned decidedly chillier today. In keeping with that, here’s a winter photo from 2021 of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park

#photography #BlueSkyMonday #EastCoastKin #nature #astronomy #London #winter
A view of snow-dusted grass across to the observatory dome. Bare trees are seen, with branches on the right foreground. A lone dog walker is in the centre distance of the image. The sky is a clear blue.
November 17, 2025 at 11:17 AM
tarka79.bsky.social
Istanbul for #BlueSkyArtShow #bright theme

#photography #EastCoastKin #cityscape #Istanbul #Türkiye
Sunset against a low-rise city skyline, with a tower with conical top to the left of the image . There is a layer of clouds above the low sun, with the sky a deep orange.
November 15, 2025 at 9:13 AM
tarka79.bsky.social
Couple of ducks seen during my lunchtime stroll!

#photography #birds #nature #duck #wildlife
A pair of male mallards standing on a branch at the water lev of a bond. Green foliage is in the foreground
November 11, 2025 at 2:01 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
A pigeon feeding frenzy with an onlooking crow, seen last week!

#photography #birds #nature #wildlife
A mass of pigeons feeding on an unseen food dropped on a path. A single crow is standing behind them.
November 9, 2025 at 6:06 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
Resharing for #BlueSkyArtShow #evening, as it seemed a good fit

#photography #EastCoastKin #cityscape #London #thames
November 8, 2025 at 5:46 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
An entry for #BlueSkyArtShow #Evening theme

#photography #EastCoastKin #nature #sunset #skyscape
The sky over the sea just after sunset, the clouds illuminated reds and oranges. The ground in the foreground is silhouetted
November 8, 2025 at 10:50 AM
tarka79.bsky.social
A picture from the grounds of Eltham Palace back in the summer.

Once the childhood home of Henry VIII, the surviving great hall was incorporated into an Art Deco mansion in the 1930s

#palacesandgardens #photography #EastCoastkin #nature #London #history
A stone bridge over a moat, with an ornamental tree in the foreground and more trees in the distance. The moat is mainly covered with water weed
November 6, 2025 at 5:04 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
Busy few days and haven’t had a chance to take more photos, so here’s some autumn leaves from the weekend.

#photography #nature #EastCoastKin #Autumn #leaves
A carpet of fallen leaves in yellows and browns.
November 5, 2025 at 5:14 PM
tarka79.bsky.social
Some impressive looking fungi seen today in Kent.

Possibly Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa) based on my brief search, but happy to be corrected!

#photography #nature #tree #fungi #stunday #EastCoastKin
A frilly light brown fungus growing on the side of a tree.
November 2, 2025 at 6:13 PM