Beowulf tends to be my constant companion when I am taking backyard bird pictures, but lately I’ve been spending time in the company of the Queen – Queen Elizabeth to be precise!

Now, lest you label me a bonkers birdnerd (and you might even after the explanation), these are the names of my go-to camera lenses. Beowulf, an epic hero known to be strong and mighty, is what I call my 100-400mm lens, and Queen Elizabeth is what I have dubbed my 300mm fixed lens, which is steady and constant, like its namesake was. “She” has a larger aperture, meaning she lets in more light, which has been handy in this rather dismal winter weather we’ve been having.

Here are some of the birds that popped in and struck a royal pose in the presence of her majesty!

All of these were taken on a rather dull and dreary day, so I was thankful to have the Queen keeping me company!

And while I don’t have any present plans to add another lens, you can rest assured that it will be appropriately named if I do!