View Full Version : Rye Meads - Monday bank holiday
hashcake
26-05-2010, 16:06
Myself, smoothedit his mum and hopefully a new member, p3thur5t are going to meet at Rye Meads on Bank holiday monday.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/r/ryemeads/index.aspx
There is a breeding pair of Kingfishers and hopefully the fledglings will leave the nest on Monday.
I think it's going to get busy there as a lot of people know about this.
They open @ 10am and I suggest we get there beforehand as they sometimes open a bit earlier and we can then grab the best seats in the hide :)
There are other hides there and plenty of birds as well.
Thanks to smoothedit's mum, she has shown me where a pair of Woodpeckers are nesting very close to the RSPB reserve.
http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/en/content/cms/leisure/nature_reserves/rye_house_gatehouse/rye_house_gatehouse.aspx
There is plenty of parking at both locations and I am going to be at Gatehouse from about 8:30am so I can get the woodpeckers first.
There is a coffee machine at the reserve but no food.
If anyone is interested just add your name.
:lol: I feel about 6 right now!! :lol:
hashcake
26-05-2010, 17:33
:lol: I feel about 6 right now!! :lol:
Well, I did ask your mum if you are allowed to come out and play :lol:
King of Groove
26-05-2010, 19:52
I'd love to come but start work in the afternoon! Fancy having to work on a bank holiday!
:lol:
Argh.... stupid work....
You could .... erm.... develop a caugh and possible man flu that morning? Only known cure is kingfisher togging...
hashcake
26-05-2010, 20:31
:lol:
Argh.... stupid work....
You could .... erm.... develop a caugh and possible man flu that morning? Only known cure is kingfisher togging...
We are talking about Clive here, he's not a man, he's a big girls blouse :D
hashcake
26-05-2010, 20:32
:lol:
Argh.... stupid work....
You could .... erm.... develop a caugh and possible man flu that morning? Only known cure is kingfisher togging...
Nudge - re the welcome thread and the request to see a few of your mums KF photos :)
King of Groove
26-05-2010, 20:43
We are talking about Clive here, he's not a man, he's a big girls blouse :D
Careful otherwise you'll get that concrete overcoat sooner than 29th!
Trouble is I don't get paid for first 3 days of sick leave so throwing a sickie isn't a option!
Sorry hash - I am a bit older than 6 and don't live at home anymore.
Will get em done next time I am over!
What happened to the Southend Airshow you started? Not going any more?
I have got to admit, this is tempting and is very close to home. I want to go to the airshow, but not for the traffic, parking and finding somewhere to see.
Southend Airshow Linky (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=230761)
hashcake
26-05-2010, 22:18
What happened to the Southend Airshow you started? Not going any more?
I want to go to the airshow, but not for the traffic, parking and finding somewhere to see[/URL]
Lester, ditto the hassle of parking would drive me nuts.
There wasn't anyone else interested in the other thread and this is closer to home.
Big metal birds are less of a challenge than Kingfishers :)
I'm going to think about this and will decide nearer the time. Probably depends on the weather.
p3thur5t
27-05-2010, 19:07
I'll be coming, probably with my Dad who's interested in seeing the Kingfishers as well.
I didn't realise there were Woodpeckers around either so it'll be quite nice to see them and like you said it's probably going to get busy so earlier is better.
hashcake
27-05-2010, 19:33
Sorry hash - I am a bit older than 6 and don't live at home anymore.
Will get em done next time I am over!
:lol:
hashcake
27-05-2010, 19:34
So are we meeting at the gatehouse @ 8:30am or at the reserve?
Out of interest for those who have been before. Would a 70-300mm lens be long enough? When at Leigh On Sea last weekend, it wasn't from the hide that I was in. I don't know how close the hides are?
I've got a pass for Monday morning so I'll aim to be at the gatehouse for an 08:30 rendezvous. I've seen the gatehouse on Google Maps, but I don't know the area so will be depending on satnav to get me there and work out where I should be parking.
I've been to Rye Meads before but I don't know what sort of length glass we'll need for the KFs. I'll be sporting my 100-400, as usual, and I'll try to remember my 1.4X too, just in case. Naturally I'll have a tripod in tow too, if only for the exercise. :)
hashcake
28-05-2010, 21:02
I've got a pass for Monday morning so I'll aim to be at the gatehouse for an 08:30 rendezvous. I've seen the gatehouse on Google Maps, but I don't know the area so will be depending on satnav to get me there and work out where I should be parking.
I've been to Rye Meads before but I don't know what sort of length glass we'll need for the KFs. I'll be sporting my 100-400, as usual, and I'll try to remember my 1.4X too, just in case. Naturally I'll have a tripod in tow too, if only for the exercise. :)
Tim, the gate house is just before Rye Meads on the left hand side and it has it's own car park as well.
People have said they've struggled with Sigma 150-500's and the Canon 100-400L with regard to the Kingfishers.
A bloke today was sporting a 400mm f2.8L IS USM and a 2x converter!
If they think they are struggling, they should try my set up :lol:
hashcake
28-05-2010, 21:04
Out of interest for those who have been before. Would a 70-300mm lens be long enough? When at Leigh On Sea last weekend, it wasn't from the hide that I was in. I don't know how close the hides are?
It'll be fine for some of the birds using nesting boxes but sadly not for the Kingfishers.
Well, not unless by some miracle they come closer to the hide.
It'll be fine for some of the birds using nesting boxes but sadly not for the Kingfishers.
Well, not unless by some miracle they come closer to the hide.
I might give it a go, as I'm so close to the place.
Just confirming I'll aim to be at the gatehouse for 08:30.
I won't post these in the bird forum, because I don't think I could handle a comparison with some/most/any/all of the KF shots posted there, but FWIW here are a few I scraped off the bottom of the barrel from today's shooting. For those who weren't there, the light was dire (sometimes only managing 1/125 at f/5.6 and 800 ISO) and these are heavily cropped...
1.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/TAQeKUaPnCI/AAAAAAABSu0/TaL-DS-aQAk/s800/20100531_102343_8364_LR.jpg
2.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/TAQeLHxdv3I/AAAAAAABSu4/Pbc8W_T4iNk/s800/20100531_102405_8369_LR.jpg
3.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/TAQeMJrigNI/AAAAAAABSu8/tnl-6J5sQpg/s800/20100531_110132_8407_LR.jpg
4.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/TAQeM77JdRI/AAAAAAABSvA/SqqAIjT3AC0/s800/20100531_113901_8442_LR.jpg
5.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/TAQeNX-5tTI/AAAAAAABSvE/YT5fz0AfmfI/s800/20100531_113902_8443_LR.jpg
went to rye meads once last year, nice place - distance from the hide to see the KFs is a bit too much for probably even 600mm (also very elevated looking down which isn't good as I always like to be as close to level with the subject as possible)
nice shots Tim
drew
STARRIDER
01-06-2010, 07:14
Liking #5..:thumbs:
Cheers, Drew, and Dave. Clearly the KFs are very popular. We were parked outside by 09:45, waiting for the gates to open at 10:00 and there was quite a queue of cars building by the time we gained access. Then it was marching double-time to get a decent position at the hide. It was a real bunfight there, with people crushed together on the bench and more standing behind. I heard that the disabled viewing point underneath was choc-a-bloc too. I stayed for around 90 minutes and brief flurries of activity were interspersed with long, drawn out periods of nothingness.
I used my 100-400 and had a 1.4X TC with me, but couldn't see much point in losing another stop of light just to get a bigger, but even noisier image, so I just crossed fingers that 400mm would get me something. I certainly won't be viewing these on my HDTV. :(
STARRIDER
01-06-2010, 07:23
Cheers, Drew, and Dave. Clearly the KFs are very popular. We were parked outside by 09:45, waiting for the gates to open at 10:00 and there was quite a queue of cars building by the time we gained access. Then it was marching double-time to get a decent position at the hide. It was a real bunfight there, with people crushed together on the bench and more standing behind. I heard that the disabled viewing point underneath was choc-a-bloc too. I stayed for around 90 minutes and brief flurries of activity were interspersed with long, drawn out periods of nothingness.
I used my 100-400 and had a 1.4X TC with me, but couldn't see much point in losing another stop of light just to get a bigger, but even noisier image, so I just crossed fingers that 400mm would get me something. I certainly won't be viewing these on my HDTV. :(
Sounds like it was hard work..:(..but you got a couple..:thumbs:
Sounds like it was hard work..:(..but you got a couple..:thumbs:
Yeah. I don't envy Darran with his 280mm f/5.6 combo or Lester with his 70-300 (I think). It was a toss up between too small, too blurry or too noisy (or all three). With the light almost 6 stops dimmer than a sunny day I was not expecting to get much, and my expectations were met in full. I did at one point try a few shots at 100 ISO, just to see if I could kill the noise, but with a shutter speed of 1/13 at 400mm I wasn't hopeful, and rightly so.
On top of all that, apparently the babies did not fledge yesterday....
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/groups/ryemeads/blog/default.aspx
p.s. We did meet up to see the woodpeckers at the Gatehouse before moving on to Rye Meads, but the woodpeckers were no more. Not one of the most satisfying photography days. :(
hashcake
01-06-2010, 08:49
It's very frustrating with the Kingfishers being so far from the hide, I doubt many people have had decent shots.
Lots of people using the Sigma 150-500 and Canon 100-400 and everyone was struggling with reach.
I will nail one of the little bugger eventually but I doubt it will be this year or at Rye Meads.
Thanks Darran for this. I may go back again.
Great shots there Tim, better than what I got. I've just got a blue/orange blob on a green background. If you'd stayed for 20 minutes later, you would have seen them mating on the broom stick that was sticking out of the water. I've got the shots, but again not good enough.
I was chatting to my brother who told me about the Kingfishers on the Lea in Waltham Abbey. He said he frequently saw them when went fishing and one even sat on the end of his rod one time. My brother fell asleep and the Kingfisher set his rod alarm off and woke him up. Lol. I might have a wonder over there to see if worth doing with others to get closer photos.
Great shots there Tim, better than what I got. I've just got a blue/orange blob on a green background. If you'd stayed for 20 minutes later, you would have seen them mating on the broom stick that was sticking out of the water. I've got the shots, but again not good enough.
As I passed through the centre on my way back to the car I saw there was plenty of activity on the live camera feed they have. Bloody typical. Unfortunately I did have to get back for lunch guests. They actually overtook me on the M25 on the way back home. I guess they were even more eager than me for a nice lunch. :)
I was chatting to my brother who told me about the Kingfishers on the Lea in Waltham Abbey. He said he frequently saw them when went fishing and one even sat on the end of his rod one time. My brother fell asleep and the Kingfisher set his rod alarm off and woke him up. Lol. I might have a wonder over there to see if worth doing with others to get closer photos.
Keep us posted on that. I do get kingfishers in my neck of the woods, but sightings are infrequent and I don't know of any regular spots near nesting sites, so I wouldn't be able to arrange a meet just for KFs. However, there is a nice country park (http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/vip8/ecc/ECCWebsite/dis/guc.jsp?channelOid=14413&guideOid=16906&guideContentOid=14412) (Belhus Woods) near me, with plenty of lakes and a few waterfowl that can sometimes make for a decent shot. There is also a feeding station where it is possible to get some close up shots from about 6'-10' away. Darran's going to come over and check it out one day and if he gives it the thumbs up I might set up a little meeting there for the birders and nature lovers. There's also Rainham Marshes (http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/r/rainhammarshes/index.aspx) RSPB reserve not too far away, so we could perhaps make a two centre day out.
Here are some of my shots from Belhus Woods - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/EezyTiger/Belhus?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_o7pvfg9-rMw
and Rainham Marshes - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/EezyTiger/RainhamMarshes?authkey=Gv1sRgCK_O4Jrd8_KWuQE
Linky to a pic from smootheditsnr! (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=2685024#post2685024)
She would love to hear what you think....
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