Gulls

I like the curve of the gulls in the air from right to left. This is where they get to when not patrolling the outdoor cafes of Exmouth.

Mirror?

This 'mirror' was on a Sunbeam double decker bus from the late Fifties at the Black Country Museum. It's made of polished metal - the advantage is, it's less likely to be broken on contact with lamp posts, bus shelters, trees and road signs. The disadvantage is that the image is not very clear.

Peregrine Falcon

A calm image from Ramsey Island last August. 300mm lens, f/7.1 @ 1/1000th sec. Today I would have used f/5.6 @ 1/1600th as shutter speed seems more important to sharpness than depth of field for flying birds.

Moon Pass

I had another go at the moon last night. This time I used a fast shutter speed - 1/1600th - and tried both 1.4 and 2x converters. However, this image from the 400mm alone was the sharpest. Perhaps the converters enlarge the image to the point where the moon's movement slightly blurs it. Must try a faster shutter speed with the converters.

Food Pass

The male marsh harrier has flown over the nest with prey and the female has taken off to intercept him and receive it. Lakenheath Fen RSPB.

Hazy Harrier

The light into the sun at Lakenheath Fen RSPB reserve was very hazy, making things hard for the autofocus, so it seemed a good idea to make a poster of this male marsh harrier dropping into the reeds.

Sedge Warbler

It needed manual focussing to find this little wobbler in the reeds and strength to handhold the 400 + 1.4x converter. It is very pleased that I am with the result.

Colour is better in Black and White

That little bit of orange makes it, though.

Common Buzzard

Taken at Exmouth last week with the 400mm lens and 1.4x converter, making for a slightly soft image with the prime lens at full aperture, but the bird was a long way up. This is a big enlargement.

Plop Duck surfacing

This Tufted Duck at Pensthorpe 'plopped' to the surface in this sequence, reading from bottom up.

Kite in the Landscape

I think a good bird photo with a slightly out-of-focus but identifiable background is very artistic. Here it is too close to the background, and the sun has lit the edges of the wings, making it look as if it was stuck on the landscape. Fortunately kites twist and turn frequently - otherwise you have a wingless body.

Bright Bunting

This male bird had a very pronounced white collar and puffed up head feathers. He looked good among the emerging blossom. Compare him with the bird on the April 9th blog.

Snowy Owl

A captive bird at the Raptor Foundation in St Ives.

What volcanic ash?

It's behind you!

Wot, no herring?

That's typical! I buy a long lens and get a picture with a 28mm. The sign said 'Do not feed the pigeons.'

Inca Tern

One of the pix from my new(ly acquired second-hand) 400mm lens. Taken at 'Living Coasts' in Torquay at 1/1250th f/5.6.

Jackdaw

A fearless bird on the lookout for food at Stourhead Estate.

Never mind Black Mountain!

The kites at Watlington Hill in Oxfordshire are more numerous and star-struck than in Wales. This is a complete image from a full-frame sensor on a 420mm focal length!

Norfolk Hare

I don't think of hares as woodland creatures, and sure enough he didn't stay long. Pensthorpe reserve.

Reed Bunting

This is the male Reed Bunting, as handsome as the female is neat. He was the best-marked of the Wicken Fen birds.

Chinese Deer

A visitor to the hide at Wicken Fen. Not a Muntjak, cos it has no tusks. Chinese Water Deer was suggested.

Hands

Fin's hand on Edith's.

About to Fly

A female Reed Bunting at take-off. Wicken Fen Nature Reserve. 300mm lens, 1/2000th @ f/4.5.

Soft Materials

'Er in the Darkroom had an exhibition this holiday weekend with artists from other areas, so I stole her fisheye lens and got my feet in most of the photos. Here's one I cut them out of earlier.

Lapwing 2

A huge enlargement from a long lens that was still not sharp enough, so I posterised it.

Marsh Harrier

Clocked at Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB reserve today, this female is apparently "last year's bird". A long shot for identification only.

Fin's first birthday

Finley came round today and met his great-grandmother again. He's ten days short of one year old; she's nearly ninety-eight.

Greylag Goose

A grey day at RSPB Fowlmere, too windy for small birds, but the geese got airborne.