Slimbridge I

I always think of Slimbridge as the sum of two parts. There's what I think of as the commercial bit ,and the 'wild' bit; the zoo and the nature reserve. The main area you first enter contains the pens where the captive birds are, ranging from the exotics to the more common UK birds. We went along on Saturday to enjoy the sun, feed the birds and try out my new lens - I've bought a zoom for the holidays - unless it was a photo holiday there's no way I'd lug around the 300mm on a day out!
The sun brought the chance to capture some close ups of a few captive UK species, as well as the odd wild bird that was enjoying the facilities. It was good to get back to the extra freedom that a zoom lens brings, and by and large I was quite pleased with the lens. Any problems lay with the photographer! For the captives the male eiders were the stars of this show, although I still have a bit of a thing for the goldeneye.As for the wild birds? The first couple show the duck that looks so drab at a distance, so dazzlingly patterned close-up, the Gadwall. Wouldn't a catch-light have made that black headed gull shot. Tiny bit of flash maybe? The backlit bill would still have been there, but would that have removed the shadow? The eye is just so black. The lapwing shots were the best I've had yet of this species, and the background fence just about blurs out enough.
Later we wandered along to the feeding area - each night at 4 pm the wildfowl get a snack, but it seems it's more of a social occasion than anything. The Bewick swans come along, and I even had a bash at some flight shots, despite the fading light. Me and Andy Rouse that is. See I'm moving in exalted company now!! I expect his results were a lot better than mine, although the incoming Bewick wasn't bad. He certainly didn't ask me for any tips.
As always better versions of some of these snaps HERE - click on the 'latest' folder. Hopefully the eiders at least will show well.

BGBW III

The end of January and another Big Garden Birdwatch. A spell of milder weather has seen bird numbers fall away in the last couple of weeks - it's not so long since I looked out the bedroom window and saw 15 blackbirds in the hoar frost.

Still there were a few birds around. It's getting harder to count them and I'm sure I'm down on the chafinches at least. The garden is more mature, more 'bushy' and we have more feeding stations, so you need to be counting in several spots at once.

The starlings came top again, peaking with the first feed of the morning. After that the raiding parties were smaller. Max number of 11 was only half of last years, but we've had more at other times so I think it just reflects other feeding opportunities. It was pleasing that the top 3 this year are all birds that have bred in the garden/house - starling 11, house sparrow 8 and blue tit 7. Also that the first 2 are in the list of declining birds, so we're doing our bit! It was our best year for goldfinch at 5, but the greenfinch were down at 2, compared to 8 last year. The only vaguely unusual bird was a grey wagtail, but the 2 pieds didn't show - Kay said she hasn't seen them for a few weeks now.

The Wrath of Turdus

There was a promise of sunny spells, and as I planned to be over the bridge anyway I headed back to Marshfield, where there continue to be reports of finch flocks and winter thrushes on the Birding South Gloss website (here). I met Martin Hayes when I was wandering around, and should have thanked him better for keeping this going, especially for us out of towners. As before the birds were around in reasonable quantities, but getting near enough for a snap was more tricky.

Eventually these field canaries and I came to an understanding. I would crouch in the raised field in full view and keep still. They would fly in and out of the hedges ad eventually get the confidence to come close enough for a snap. The background is a bit twiggy, but the yellowhammer is such a cute little thing I can live with that.

However when it came to the winter thrushes the same old problem arose. I am convinced that Turdus the Thrush God has put a hex on me. Even when the buggers come close enough for a snap the camera/lens can't get the focus right. Sit in a tree and 9+ of 10 are ok. Sit in the grass and the lens misses. They don't look too bad at this resolution, but none are pin sharp. And look how close the redwing was. I could understand the fieldfare which was, obviously, more distant. Alright probably less divine intervention than some kind of pre/backfocusing issue which occurs with the camera pointing down and a grassy background. It even happened here last weekend with these local song thrushes from Caldicot Castle. Right, you might look and think - not that bad, but I binned loads. The one on the molehill was the only one at that range in focus. Ok if you fill the frame it works, but not at usual shooting distance. And that redwing was fairly close (for once).

The dunnock and robin at Collister Pill were the same. Sit on a gate and bang, pin sharp. Down in the straw and one of perhaps 20 dunnock in focus, and every single robin blurred.

I've tried all the autofocus options. And yes I've tried manual focus, but the viewfinder on the 400D is so small and crap that my iffy eyesight can't tell if it's sharp. It looks sharp, but I'm worse than the autofocus when I get them on the big screen! I know I'm hard on my kit, as I invariably use a 2x converter on the 300mm lens, but I have to get as close as I can! Maybe Turdus would be appeased if I sacrificed a cat? Pass the antifreeze ....................

As always better images can be seen in the web albums HERE.

Click on latest to see these ones.

Have a look

Every so often you come across some pictures that tick the box. In the last couple of weeks the ones that did it for me were Chris Grady's superb frosted red kite HERE and Dean Eade's bittern shots HERE . Chris' shot deservedly picked up the Birdguides photo of the week and Dean has just won the Birdguides photo of the year shot for a view of gannets bill touching. I met Dean when I was snapping the waxwings in Lincoln - I know it was him because his name was stitched onto his jacket! But he does take bloody good pictures.

Not quite so unusual but check out the worm shot - Richard Steel's fieldfares HERE

A Grand Day Out

By and large I do my photography alone. Not just Billy-no-mates. My worst nightmare is when I'm sitting in a nice quiet hide and then the door opens and a group pours in. Not objecting to groups - they have just as much right to be there as me. I just don't enjoy that crowded feeling. However sometimes it's good to be in a group - the right setting, the right people, etc. Last Saturday was just such a day. A glorious sunny day in Glamorganshire with Chris Grady, Brian Davis and Mike Smith. Bit of a laugh, but by the same token some good birding and snaps. In fact all in all I think this is perhaps the most-liked set of shots I've posted from a single day, with at least 5 birds posing nicely. OK I'm not going to be entering them in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest, but better than usual for me. I didn't really get the fieldfare, but hey ... one day. Brian Davis got a better shot - check his blog on the links to the right.

Do check the pictures on my web albums - they do show better. Click HERE and then on the 'Latest' album.

Bearded tit at Cosmeston Lakes. God I love that little bird. For some reason I didn't like my middle range shots, but the close ups were better, especially the head shots. They are mostly full frame - it really was that close. [Lesson 1 - always try and get a couple of shots showing the wider environs] I swithered about including the last shot - the head was in bright light, the body wasn't, so it has been messed with a bit, and is more interesting than good. The one thing that did strike me is what little wings they have. They really do seem disproportionately small.
Also showing well a female reed bunting, with the male not quite so well. Shame about the leaf over the tail of the female. I did try to lower the camera to shoot under it, but made such a pigs ear of adjusting the tripod on the slippy, frosty boardwalk that the bugger flew off. Red faced apologies to mates. (Disadvantage of being in a group!)
Then along to Sully in search of Gavin and Stacey ......... sorry, more waxwings. Well, who can resist them? And how often have you seen them eating apples? Waxwings that is.
Blackcap appeared first ..............
then the slightly agoraphobic fieldfare.
Then the 2 waxwings, tucking into the fruit with gusto (note the apple chunks on the beaks), and sharing the usual trait of being fairly indifferent to the bloke with camera standing near them. The head shots are slight crops to cut out the twigs, but not too tight as the preserved detail hopefully shows. The light was quite harsh at first, but warmed as the sun lowered. The background was a bit tricky in some shots, and I can't believe I missed that big yellow stripe running smack down the middle of the frame of one of the feeding shots. As you might point out that's the problem - I didn't miss it! What was I saying about this set of snaps? Nah, I still like most of them. And I'll include this one because I like the shape of the bird. [Lesson 2 look properly at the picture - and then push Chris out of the way so you can get the right line!]
The owners of the house invited us onto their drive for better views, and then made us a cup of tea complete with Christmas cake and biscuits. Faith in human nature restored by one grand day out.

2009 - "Cranreuch cauld"

From time to time I come across a word that grabs me. I don't always know why, but some are just pleasing. I came across 'cranreuch' years ago reading an old book of poems at my parents house (not a sentence I could often say!). It's from the Burns poem 'To A Mouse' about the farmer who's trashed the mouse nest, and is apologising.
Cranreuch means hoar frost, and I found some today. We'd gone for a New Year's Day walk in Wentwood - not that high, but above the very visible 'frost-line' The light was so bad I hadn't bothered to take a camera - I didn't expect the frost to be so good - but Kay's dad had a compact which I pinched. The shots won't win any prizes, but they do illustrate a lovely cold cranreuch.