What birds or bird have you seen today – communal thread, I hope!

Went looking for the local Twite today, found a small flock of around 20 but nothing decent photography wise.

A few record shots but will definitely be going back

twite 1 1024.jpg

Twite 2 1024.jpg

Twite 3 1024.jpg
 
Blacktoft yesterday, 15 Marsh harrier, 1 male Hen H, 1 Ringtail, a Barn owl and a Buzzard, all up at the same time!

Just a shame the last hide, where they go into roost, becomes a bit of a circus :rolleyes:

Little grebe

Little grebe with fish.jpg

Female Wigeon

Wigeon flyby.jpg

Marsh harrier (heavy crop)

Marsh harrier edit.jpg
 
Last edited:
......Just a shame the last hide, where they go into roost, becomes a bit of a circus...
- Hi Phil,
I was in Xerox hide last Friday (not too busy), and I saw a male and female Hen Harrier coming in to roost at 4.05pm (y)(y) - too dark and distant for a shot though! A juv Buzzard landed on a post near the hide, which was a bonus.

I did manage a Barney in almost complete darkness at 4.20pm at ISO 51200 (amazed the camera locked on):
_59I5432.jpg

Russ
 
Last edited:
- Hi Phil,
I was in Xerox hide last Friday (not too busy), and I saw a male and female Hen Harrier coming in to roost at 4.05pm (y)(y) - too dark and distant for a shot though! A juv Buzzard landed on a post near the hide, which was a bonus.

I did manage a Barney in almost complete darkness at 4.20pm at ISO 51200 (amazed the camera locked on):
View attachment 265044

Russ

Hiya Russ
You did well with the Barn owl (y) , flying towards you too, not always easy in good light never mind in near darkness!

Don't get me wrong, I do like Blacktoft, there can't be many places were you can watch that many raptors all up at the same time.

I suppose most in there are regulars and know each other but the conversation can be a bit loud. We managed to get the last window to the left in the hide, the chap sat next to us was shouting to the chap in the far corner, over the top of everyone else talking...... and as you know, they aren't small hides :banghead::LOL:
 
My partner mentioned a while back that Long Tailed Tits are her favourite bird, so I've been out trying to get a really nice photo of one. Every time, I either see loads but the light is awful (and they're far too hyper for slower shutter speeds!) or have good light and no birds. Today, I missed the Tit shot of a lifetime by half a second. Popped up on an arc of bramble, close enough to fill the frame well before full zoom, with a perfectly clean fore/background. Nice light, strong enough for 1/500th at ISO1100. I had been watching birds in the distance, caught off guard, and all I got was a picture of a bramble just after it'd gone. Oops! There's always next time.
I did get this one, which I like, but it's not up to the standard I'm looking for.

Long Tailed Tit by Luke Case, on Flickr
 
Two shots of a Little Egret yesterday. He/she seems to live in these woods, and is very jumpy. I never see it until it's scared and flying, even when I know where it's landed and try to sneak up. I feel bad sometimes, as it tends to get scared, land in the ditch near the only footpath, then get scared and fly a bit further, and repeat the process. Sometimes I scare it off three or more times just walking to the end of the path. Occasionally it'll loop out over the river and fly past, as was the case yesterday.

I didn't knowhow to crop these really, as the plain sky doesn't add anything. I tried the bird in the standard "on the third" spot but it looked funny. I know they "shouldn't" go bang in the middle, but I think I prefer them like this.


Little Egret by Luke Case, on Flickr

Little Egret by Luke Case, on Flickr
 
I'm getting them in my garden quite regularly now, but they never stay put long enough for me to get a shot!

I've been after them for a week or more now, and always feel like I miss tons of good shots by being just a tiny bit too slow. So much fun to watch though.
 
Another cracking set Roger.
Love the action on the Mallard especially (y)
 
Up to your usual high standards Roger.
 
Great shots Phil - have you taken up residence there ;)

Russ

Cheers Russ and yes, you'd think so!

If only the Harriers were as obliging as the Buzzards.

I was gutted if I'm being honest, Buzzard flies from island and lands on post next to hide. Wings back, talons forward, in great light, would have made a stunning photo......in me excitement I missed focus :banghead: .......oh well, there's always next week :LOL:
 
This little chap was a quarter of the way up our (very long) garden. As a result the lens was at 129mm which is equivalent to 720mm on FF. Worse still this is less than a tenth of the area of the frame from a Panasonic TZ70. Sometimes I'm just amazed there's a recognisable image in the file at all! :LOL:

Bird in tree TZ70 P1030506.JPG
 
Maybe breaking all the rules, as this was taken at Christmas, not today! I was looking through old photos and my partner commented on how much she liked this Oyster Catcher. I had discounted it because it's flying away and the face/general detail isn't clear.
My partner is an artist but doesn't give a hoot about the technical photography aspect, so we often have very different tastes in photos.
What do you all think?

Oyster Catcher by Luke Case, on Flickr
 
Maybe breaking all the rules, as this was taken at Christmas, not today! I was looking through old photos and my partner commented on how much she liked this Oyster Catcher. I had discounted it because it's flying away and the face/general detail isn't clear.
My partner is an artist but doesn't give a hoot about the technical photography aspect, so we often have very different tastes in photos.
What do you all think?

Oyster Catcher by Luke Case, on Flickr


I quite like it actually. It's not such an obvious pose as most bird photographs are. I'd say it was under-exposed though;
 
Who says Gulls are a nightmare to ID! :whistle:

This 1st winter Iceland gull's been showing well at Redcar Tarn near Keighley.

And for all you gull enthusiast, that can pick them out of a flock of 1000's of other gulls, there's 1st and 2nd winter Caspian showing well too :LOL:

Iceland gull 3.jpg
 
Spotting nothing of any great significance today at my local reserve I resorted to taking pictures of the feeders :eek:

Shooting in to the sun made for some really erm... interesting images so I thought I'd share them :ROFLMAO:

DSC_0069.jpg


DSC_0036.jpg

DSC_0052.jpg


I did think about editing them for one really long feeder but then I thought... just stop drinking and go to bed.
 
The Turnstones having a banquet ARE Turnstones.
According to my good self, while out with a bird enthusiast photography pal some time ago, they are actually Pebbletossers :LOL:... I knew it had something to do with turning pebbles over just couldn't remember the correct name!
 
Back
Top