Black and white but mostly red all over

Kay going away for a week with her mum gave me the chance for a day out with the camera - but where to go in August?  The problem with birds at this time of year - the moult - was highlighted in the last post, but without other prep time I couldn't think what else to do.

So it was an early start and off I headed to the Elan valley and the red kites at Gigrin farm.  I got a few early morning snaps cruising the fences at Elan, and later deleted them all in error - too many memory cards!  Still although I could do with some better shots of meadow pipit and pied wagtail it wasn't a heartbreaker.  I did get some nice views of red kite, raven and goosander, but not close enough for pictures.  A wander round Gilfach Farm NR was pleasant enough, but of course the migrants were all headed south again, so it was flowers and butterflies and a stroll by the river.  Enjoying an ice cream I noticed a baby bank vole exploring the big wide world - cute but it won't last too long if it doesn't realise the world isn't just food.

A quick nap in the car and off to Gigrin.  It's quite a while since I was last there, but my memory was of shooting up at the birds in flight, so I decided to fork out a bit extra for the higher 'hides' to see if I could get anything a bit different.

You've probably seen Gigrin on the tv - they feed dozens, sometimes hundreds of kites on pieces of beef scattered around a small field. 

The kites appear at varying times after the 3pm start, and usually the first birds in action are the buzzards and corvids.  It was here I first realised that a raven could be bigger than a buzzard.  Then the kites dive down and grab some meat - rarely landing, but instead eating in the air or heading to the surrounding trees.

The kites start circling in ever increasing numbers, a frustrating number displaying the wing tags that may help research but do stand out in a snap.  A chance to snap the well known leucistic (white but not albino) kite showed just how much of a problem the moult might be.

 

There are many thousand Gigrin red kite shots out there now and whilst it was nice to get some for the portfolio the chances of something different was always going to be limited.  The light at first was a bit harsh, but by 5.30 when everyone else had gone home the light warmed up and I got a few better shots.   To start with there were the inevitable cruising bird snaps.

I decided the best chance of a different shot probably lay with catching a bird just at the point where it flipped from cruising into a dive to grab some food, but it was easier said than done.  This really was a case of needing to keep going and a reminder that I need to practice flight shots more!  So often it just didn't quite work.

Some were more interesting and I had also forgotten the fabulous plumage on the kites back where the warm colours and strong patterns really stood out.

I had hoped to get a raven shot or two for my albums.  In the end I did get a couple of flight shots I liked but more cropped than I would have hoped.  Still with the 5DIII in play (I'd say better tracking than the 1DIII) there was some scope to crop and still have a shot that looks good on the web.  There's the black, and a view of the leucistic bird that avoided the moulting mess provides the white.

Still it's the kites that take the honours and here are probably my favourite shots from the session - none the epic snap, but let's not be greedy.

Now a few shots with some snow might look good ...............

A Good, Good Day

Every so often you get a day that just ticks all the boxes, and last Saturday was one.

Having been given the day off for good behaviour, I arranged to meet up with Chris Grady in Powys. The county emblem is the Barcud - a red kite - and Chris promised he could show me kites like I had never seen them before.

I've seen a few in my time; spiralling above roads on the Black Isle, or en masse at Gigrin Farm, Rhayader (which is in Powys). Gigrin is worth seeing - the spectacle of dozens of kites, intermingled with buzzards, raven and other corvids, even herons and sparrows coming in to feed on the beef put out for them is a jaw dropper, but it does seem artificial.

Some of the kites have large labels attached,

and although it is fun it is a bit like a trip to a safri park, even though these are wild birds. Go, take your camera and enjoy, but it will leave you wanting something more.

And that was what Chris delivered. Watching a pair of perfectly conditioned red kite soaring, feeding and, to cap it all, mating, was a mesmerising experience. In terms of pictures the range was just a little on the edge for my kit, although if you look on Chris' website - see links - you can see shots that really do the views justice. I get carried away with photographs at times and it does you good to remember the pleasure of just watching birds for their own sake.

I did get some pictures I was happy enough with, especially when one bird had the good grace to perch in a nearby tree.

I tried a few digiscoped shots, but as usual pushed the magnification too hard, and spoilt the optics - never mind, they still give a flavour of what I could see through the scope.

This last one was particularly odd - at first it seemed the male had flown in with some food, but it turned out just to be a talon-full of wool. He fluffed up a few times, then flew swiftly to the nearby female, and without any pleasantries mounted her. Chris has a cracking shot of the act, if you are so inclined!

Later we toured the Elan Valley, where spring was also in the air.

A mix of upland moor that reminded me of picnics from my Scottish childhood,

reservoirs with crows and wagtails

and towering crags,

complete with peregrines we later saw mating - a somewhat aggressive looking affair conducted down on the valley floor. How often do you get to see red kite and peregrine mating on the same day. I told you it was good.

Dave Slater describes how to photograph upland birds on his website:

'One of the best places to photograph these upland birds is along moorland roads with roadside fences. Beanbag on the car window with a close eye on the traffic, a slow roll up to them is often the trick.'

We tried just that, and I did get a nice shot of this meadow pipit, but the stonechat were still very flighty, with males in constant runnning battles for territiory, meaning they rarely settled. Still plenty time later in the year when the wheatear and whinchat will be there as well.

To finish we spotted a pair of goosander on one ofthe rivers, drifting with the current, often with their heads in the water. Nipping ahead we tried for some closer shots but as always they were very nervous, meaning that the best I managed was this shot of the female.

Who cares .......................... it had been a good, good day.