What have you seen
Comments
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Came across this little fella whilst out on a walk in the hills today.
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Good day out at the Moray coast today....Gannets, Kittiwakes, Fulmers, Cormorants, Eider Ducks and a Heron offshore, Stonechats, Linnets, a Whinchat and a Whitethroat on the gorse bushes by the coastal path. Back at the site, on the bird feeder, as well as a Robin, both House and Tree Sparrows took turns on it.
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I was sitting in the conservatory drinking my first coffee this morning when a movement outside caught my eye.
Turned out to be a Muntjac, which considering I live alongside a main A road on the Shropshire/Cheshire border (albeit set back 150 yards) was quite a surprise!
It was far too quick for me to photograph, as soon as I moved it was gone back up the track where there's a 7 acre wood.
Having never seen a live one before I guess I'll have to go wandering into the woods to see if there are any more of the little creatures
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Back from our week in Dorset, really touched lucky with the weather.
Highlights were Dartford warbler at Arne, singing away at the top of a gorse bush, and red squirrels at Brownsea Island.
A beautiful area, stayed on the Club's Hunters Moon site, but now need to wash the car and 'van!
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We went down to Spey Bay today and was fortunate to see an Osprey out hunting over the sea at the river mouth. We then spotted another (?) up near the Spey Viaduct, and a Munjac just as it disappeared into the woods by the Speyside Way. There was also a colony of Terns on one of the stone banks in the river, but too far away to determine which species.
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Jay, thanks, did find it but seems a bit of a faff.
GL, not sure what the 370 for 2 is about, unless my memory has faded on this very relaxing trip.
Almost at the end of our first leg and yet to tire of Minsmere. Met some lovely people and seen things not seen by either of us before.
Highlight yesterday were 2 otters swimming in a channel, Green Woodpecker exiting its nest, pics were taken in really low lighting and long distant but will post on return
The best was reserved till early evening when at about 6.00 pm a male bittern emerged from the reeds about 30 yds from the bittern hide, with crown feathers raised looking like a big black wig, followed by a female then, just as the excitement died down, a second female emerged and flew off. What an end to a great day out.
Last day today at minsmere, so hoping for more of the same.
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BM.....The 370 for 2 was taken from your post.
Yesterday I was with the man who tag's the Marsh Harriers, I was showing him a nest site that I found and while we stood there, 2 males came so close, displaying to each other and I thought these will be the best pictures ever. Were they....every one went into the bin.
Today I went back again, pictures still off. Not a sharp one at all.
Problem is we go away on Saturday for 2 weeks and I can't get into Jessops until we get back.
I have a clued up pal coming round tomorrow evening, might throw some light.
The attached should be sharp, the rest were awful.
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Sorry GL
I had forgotten about the previous post. I have been trying for a while to understand why I cannot get sharp pics of most brown birds and I can only assume that the focus system on the Canon camera does not seem able to focus on moving brown birds. My 5D mk4 has the latest focus system canon has on offer and whatever I do it will not produce sharp images of Bittern, Harriers or most other brown birds, especially if there is a distracting background.I have binned every shot taken of a harrier this week and almost all Bittern shots that were in flight, despite having the camera checked by Canon only 2 months or so ago.
If you resolve it, let me know, I am at the point of moving to Nikon which seems capable in the guise of the D500 of very sharp harrier pics.
Just to make you feel better, I have seen many pics taken this week with very expensive kit, and we are not the only ones struggling with Harriers. They along with bitterns do not have really distinct paternation, it is rather vague, which does not help.
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Hi GL
We are moving up to North Walsham today planning to visit the usual reserves along the North coast, grateful for any suggestions on best places at present?
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I am so glad you said that about brown birds. I have thought that for a long time...brown seems to splurge? Into a brown mess.
It is no guarantee that a bright blue sky will illuminate brown harriers enough to show detail.
I do not have a problem taking sharp images, I can pan with the best of them, but this week it has all gone to pot.
I have a Marsh harrier nesting 50 yards away and when the male spirals down onto the nest, I should be able to get sharp pic's but No!
It has now reached the point of leaving the camera at home next week and taking it into Jessops when we went get back.
The bird ringer has invited me to witness some harrier tagging.....should be a treat.
BM....were I here, I would have invited you visit my patch on your way through South Norfolk.
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Thanks GL
It would have been good to meet, we are in Yorkshire the following week to visit Bempton etc.
The 5d uses contrast and colour to track a subject, I guess the patterns on brown birds and green and brown background prove to be to much. I have some nice shots of a male bittern that is stationary in reeds but single point focus overcame the need for tracking.
we have a fairly large circle of togs who bump into each other regularly and the canon v nikon debate is always won by the Nikon guys and us poor canon togs get a lot of stick for failing to get any sharp pics. It is very annoying to wait until the bird has passed before acquiring focus while the Nikon guys get several sharp images with the birds eye glinting.
D500 and D850 giving very sharp pics. If you have a mind to look At Flickr and Pete Blanchard’s pics, you will see what I mean. It is not only the camera, he is very good at bird pics. You can also see what camera settings he uses.
have a good holiday
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Fed up looking other people's sharp pic's....certainly could not(would not) afford to change camera.
Just done a few shots in garden at printed page and the 100/400 at 100mm is not as clear/sharp as the 100.mm Sigma...both at F10.
My pal is coming round tonight, but I'm not expecting too much.
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Had a wonderful mornings birdwatching in lovely warm weather.
Saw a White Spotted Bluethroat, not once but on the way back as well. Also saw Golden Orioles in flight twice and once perched on a branch singing away with the sun on him. Watched a pair a Great Crested Grebes enact their mating head bobbing and dancing ritual. Plenty of sights of Reed Warblers and a Great Reed Warbler or two. Ruddy Shelduck, Common Terns nesting, a Heronry and over 50 Mute Swans.
Wonderful.
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We've moved north to a campsite in Landshut, alongside the River Isar. The walk today started at a little village about 5/6 miles downstream called Eching. The river opens up into a slow running lake with reedbeds at one end and some tern islands in the centre. It was magic.
If you want further details let me know.
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Saw a Red Squirrel on two separate occasions today, one on our early morning walk at the CL we're staying on and another when we were walking through the woods at Cawdor Castle. There was also an Oystercatcher with one of it's chicks wandering round the Castle's car park!!
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GL
We made a long trip to Lakenheah today and bumped into 2 togs who were using Canon kit. Had a discussion on their set ups and focus choices.
The suggestion was to use the single point focus, turn off the image stabilise, do not use converters finally set the focus range at the 10m to Infiniti (or whatever setting you have on your lens) These settings I used today and although the birds were very distant, my feeling is that I did get an improvement. Might be worth a try.
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A recent visit to Lakes, Buttermere in beautiful conditions with some trout hatchlings on view. We later spotted a pike in Derwentwater following a similar group.
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Sitting outside the caravan last night with a glass of red watching the river activity and a female Goosander floated quickly downstream, followed in precise Indian file by 7 cute chicks, all mini replicas of the female with their red crests and 2 more of them hitching a ride on her back. It was like watching the gondola go down the river in Willi Wonka film.
Apparently the chicks always resemble females when first hatched.
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OH picked up a baby Bluetit from the lawn this morning and placed it back in the hedge with all it's fellow newly fledged nestlings. There is a great deal of noise coming from a big length of hedge as the parents work out which one to feed next. Things are busy just now. Joy of joy I heard a cuckoo this morning, I have heard a lot of migratory birds have been very late arriving, our swallows etc certainly were late. We did hear a lot of cuckoos in the lakes recently but not here, so it's nice to think we finally have one.
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