Grey Wagtail scored 10 for the balance.
River Gymnastics
Category: birds
Time Away To Reflect
hi folks its been a while since i wrote a blog, i had no plan to stop writing but felt it time to return and try and get back to my writing again. I have lots of news but will start with the camera news. My mate and Workhorse Sony A7R4 Died on me about 5 weeks ago with no warning at all. It was out of warranty and after the insurance company messed me about i had no choice but to get a second hand Sony A9.
Loosing half my resolution going from 61mp to 24 is a loss but the speed of the A9 has opened a new world for me, people that follow me know that i love flight shots or any action shots, so the A9 has given me a better hit rate.
The time on site has been very busy and instead of going down to the Hide i have been concentrating on the river for the Kingfisher and up on the moors looking for the Short Eared Owl.
Sitting waiting for hours pays off as other wildlife comes to you without any effort, this will become a big part of the gallery and add some lovely species of bird to my already huge gallery.
Aims this year have been the Kingfisher, Brown Hare and Red Fox and i am glad to say i have met all my challenges spending hours waiting for the image. Together with Bullfinch and Dipper, baby Curlew and many more its been a great season up to now.
Please enjoy the gallery and feel free to ask any questions.
Last Aim of the year is to film the Short Eared Owl and that will make the season complete.
The Sweet Spot
So the story goes i went for a walk round the park with the r74 and 200-600. I set my camera to:
- RAW
- f7.1
- Shutter 1/1600
- ISO Auto 100-1600
- Zone Focus
- Multi Metering
- Tracking 5 Responsive
- Steady shot left on
- Lens mode 2 Horizontal Panning
The camera performed faultless with one image out of 150 slightly out other than that it nailed focus on every image in flight.
Sony A7r4 200-600
The amazing combination of this setup has opened a new world for me. Birds in flight is the hardest form of photography to master and I have lost many amazing images because they were just out out of focus
The smaller the bird the faster the bird means you have to have good knowledge of the bird and reactions to it appearing in your field of view.
Over time I have learned many things about cameras and settings you need, but without the skill from the user it is near impossible to get a Razor sharp image of a fast moving bird in flight
So after Canon, Nikon, and Olympus I found Sony. The area i filmed in with all 3 was the same but the difference between the 4 was my keeper rate, the number of images that I had to choose from when editing increased beyond anything I had expected when I switched over to Sony.
So after so many years and Thousands of £s I found my combinati. The feeling when you leave the house to capture a bird you may only get one chance at filming, and the peace of mind you will will return home with great in focus images is the best feeling a photographer can have.
There are days we all have as photographer’s where nothing seems to work and I have experienced that many times, and learned that its me not my expensive equipment thats at fault. Simple Answer pack up and put the gear away.
Another thing I think the person looking at the image needs to know is that to get that one image may have taken 100 or 200 shots to get it just right, it can be in focus colour just right but the background could be all wrong, colour or objects.
I love the challenges I set myself and the harder the better, but my Sont gear gives me so much confidence and we are a great team together.
People that know me will understand when I say that I am happy with my equipment and why should I look at another camera when this combination gives me amazing images. There is a simple explanation, I have to have the best I can afford to achieve my aims in life.
Kindness
On my photography journey there are times when you come across a subject that you are privileged to find, by chance or by word of mouth.
When that happens you always come across obstacles that make your objective harder and sometimes just not possible.
So when I meet a lovely lady called Christine kind and helpful who loves wildlife it started a new opening for me and soon she let her friend know of my work and that lady owns the building where the Barn Owl lives.
Over 10 years of photography covering wildlife I have never had this kindness and it makes me feel so privileged to be able to visit and use the permitted areas to sit in peace and quiet and film wildlife.
Sharing it and telling my wildlife story of how the image or video was captured.
I am hoping the weather and summer will be kind to the Barn Owl so they can breed and raise a family and I can cover the season to the time when the young fledge the nest.
I am keeping the location secret for good reason and I will acting as eyes and ears for the surrounding area for people entering the area or disturbing the Owl.
Blackie.
Blackie and Barn
As she came towards me with her wings spread the sun shone threw her feathers. Head and eyes looking into the pale brown grass. Ears listening for the slightest movement.
Turning quickly diving fast and seconds before she strikes her wings tuck back her Talons pushed forward and her eyes closed for the kill. She missed bless her.
The skill she uses has to be seen to understand how clever she is and the speed of her when she pinpoints the movement of a rodent.
Moments spent filming the Barn Owl are so special and its a privilege to capture her in the wild hunting. I do hope she has a mate and they breed this year.
My Love For The Swan
The meaning of a swan is grace, beauty, love, trust, and loyalty. Swan symbolism is also linked to inner beauty and self love. A pair of swans represent soul mates for life.
Ever since I can remember the White Swan has given me so much joy and moments of peace, sitting with a Swan is can bring inner peace and fill your heart with joy. The beauty and movement when mating is something I look forward to every year.
Pairing for life and very aggressive in the mating season they have so many different positions to photograph. Watching them and observing them throughout the season has given me so many moments of joy and photographing them has been a pleasure.
Elegant on the water and clumsy on land they never sease to amaze how a such a big bird can take to the sky. Running fast across the water they take a good 50-60 feet before there airborne.
When the breeding season starts the male becomes very protective of the female and nest site. Defending it against any intruder and birds that venture within a large area around the nest site are quickly sent on their way.
The Goose seems to be the bird the Swan is most aggressive to and many times I have witnessed a male Swan hunt down the goose way beyond the nest site, intent on inflicting a nasty bite. Why they pick on one bird when there are 20 more in close proximity. The feathers go up the head down close to the water and they propel themselves forward pushing the water up into a beautiful shape.
This year I found a lovely lake where I could get close to the water, and using the pull out LCD I rested the lens on the ground to give you a sense of being on the water with them.
Knowledge of the Swan means I know exactly when things are about to happen but this has meant many hours of sitting and observing them in the wild. What joy they have given me over the years. Capturing the heart shape when their heads meat is one image I come close to getting last year.
I just love the Swan and may I have many more amazing moments to capture and share with my followers.
Blackie
Long Tailed Tit
This little bird is wonderful to photograph but hard as it moves back and forth looking for insectsvon the tree branches and leaves. I see it at my hide and around the site, in flocks all following each other. They are stunning when seen close up so I hope my images reflect the beauty of this little bird.
Longing to film you again
O you Beautiful Owl how you make me so happy flying with graze across open fields, free you move in silence. I will return my Friend and watch you through my viewfinder once more, silent shutter so not to disturb your sensitive hearing and spoil your hunt.
When will I see you again, when will I lay in wait excitement building like a boy waiting for his birthday present. My settings tuned to capture your beauty, to show the world and inform people of your amazing life, hard times and Owlet family
I long for the summer nights when we can be together again, just you and me doing what we love, like in heaven you land in the tree next to me. Your head moving around in all directions trying to work me out. We sit for seconds but thats enough to fill my heart once again.
See you soon my old friend.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA 
Blue Tit Gallery
The little Blue tit is so colourful its a an amazing little bird feeding on seed nuts tree blossom and insects when feeding its young. For a small bird they are aggressive and defend the nest area, chasing other birds away. Its a very nice bird that takes a great image soft colours. There busy all the time in our nest boxes at our van and at the hide so to get an image is very easy but every image is different, Please enjoy these images
Sparrow
We meet again little Sparrow the time I put your food out is here, you wait patiently in the Holly tree sitting on the splintered branch. Your family watch you from my rooftop waiting for the sign, All is clear.
The lens cap comes off the power is turned on focus, turn your litte brown head for me. O you are so beautiful, no bright colours of red,yellow,green, or blue but different shades of brown. Coffee colour beige and black. Little beak glossy, tiny grey feet.
You are the reason I look through the camera capturing your beauty, as you sing a song. Your call now can be heard in my living room as my Bella African Grey Parrot mimics your call to perfection.
You have a another species I looked for many years, I was told you are in decline just like many other species that suffer through the Human Race. Your image is printed and sits in my Best Photo album and you will be a star in your own right as my friends see you close up and see for the first time your feather detail.
The food is out see you in the morning my little Sparrow.
Rons life through the lens 