Thieving magpies!

The summer hasn't been brilliant for me photo-wise, but I guess I'm not alone in that.  Even when I was able to get in a session in decent weather the projects hadn't worked out as planned.  Last year I managed some shots of local foxes.  We've kept some food going down, including sometimes a bit of dog food with the peanuts and birdseed.  The trail cam showed the odd fox but only well after dark, then recently I had a couple of glimpses of a dark coloured fox around sunset.  I spent a couple of sessions in the ghillie suit and again saw the fox, but only when the light had largely gone.  If we get a decent night on a free evening and I get home in time I'll have another bash.  However the ghillie suit again proved it's worth - I really do think it's a good piece of kit.
The dog (ours) clearly wasn't sure ......

but it was the magpies that revealed just how well it works.  Corvids are generally twitchy birds in the countryside, but these ones not only came down to nick the food they came up to have a look at me - clearly not seeing me as a person.  Full frame shots.

It was a bit cheeky wandering up with it's mouth full though. 
The other project I was pleased with last year was the buzzards which I managed to get down a couple of times to roadkill rabbits.  One shot at this in 2012 and guess what ......

There were 7 or 8 down at some points, with the inevitable squabbles dominated by one larger bird.  (If you are a bit squeamish apologies - nature in the raw!).  One advantage of using a hide is it's much easier to swap lenses without disturbing the target.

The buzzards never appeared, but they are still around so again who knows - just need a rabbit and a sunny morning.  Although another plan did work out so I find myself a bit torn about what to try next - more in my next post.

Farne Away IV

OK it had to come.  No photo diary of a day at the Farnes doesn't include puffins, and despite my determination not to spend all my time on them the memory card soon started to fill up.  I knew I should be able to get some better flight shots, and although I still haven't got 'the' shot I did make some more progress.

Portrait shots weren't too different from my old ones though, and the wet weather seemed to have caused some muddy tummies.  Sadly I heard it was worse than that and a lot of the very young pufflings didn't make it this year as the nest holes flooded.

So nothing terribly new, but let's face it who could resist them!

Farne Away III

The first time I landed on Inner Farne I was blown away.  I'd seen film of skuas dive-bombing people encroaching on their territory, but to have this happen multiple times as the terns came shrieking in was unexpected.  As you walk up the boardwalk from the jetty you have to focus on your feet to avoid stepping on the chicks wandering off the grass as their parents hover above with food.  That first impression is something like this....

The more bold terns sit on people's hats and shout away.  That's not so bad, the most you have to worry about is some new decoration of your hat .....

But the real problem are the ones that don't land.  Look closely at those bills. 

Sharp.   Very sharp.  At the time it just feels like a hard tap, but this visit, despite my baseball cap Kay counted 15 bleeding punctures on my balding scalp.
The wind direction didn't really work with the light this time, so I struggled to get the shots I really wanted, but a few passable ones were in amongst the near misses.  And how cute are those little ones?

As always you can see bigger versions of these pics by clicking on them or going to my web albums.

Farne Away II

The seals make a nice aperitif, but it's the cliff faces that really whet the appetite, peppered with auk species, kittiwakes and shags.

The beauty of the early all-day trips is that you get the chance to spend time on the 2 islands that allow visitors, welcomed on the first by puffins, the second by arctic terns.  And therein lies one of the problems with occasional visits to the Farnes.  Both these species have the tendency to grab your focus and distract you from the other birds no less deserving of attention.  I've been before.  I knew this.  Yet I still got sucked in, especially by the puffins, but I did try honestly!  I guess the answer is to make a couple of trips in rapid succession so that you finally get overloaded by 'flying puffin/tern with beakfull of sandeel /fish shots'.  Anyway more of puffins and terns later.

I did take some snaps of guillemots (more brown than black, something I hadn't really noted before) including the first pics I have managed of the 'bridled' form (spectacled would seem a better name) complete with punk offspring, and some pics of one in Happy Feet mode.

Razorbills (these are black) are a real favourite with their Desperate Dan chinline and that fabulous eye line.  One appeared to have landed on such a small ledge it couldn't move.

The fact that at the smallest I had a 300mm lens was a bit of a problem with the shags  - they are big and close, but I did like the impact of the green eyes and yellow mouth in the shot below.  And how ugly are those chicks!

I didn't really get a shot I liked of the kittiwakes, this squeezed in view of feeding being about the best.

Next time  - must try harder