A Photoshoot With Mother Nature

[Tom_Chettoe]

Well the other day I was working away on the Bio Pic film script I've been doing lately and I glance down and just sheltering on the ledge of the French Windows was a Chiffchaff:

at first I thought "maybe he flew into the window and was dazed" but you tend to remember when birds announce their inability to see glass, by slamming into it.

So I went outside to see if it was okay, worried that it might get eaten by a cat if it just stayed where it was. Amazingly the Chiffchaff showed little interest in me walking right upto it and sitting watching it. I took my camera with me and whilst I'll admit up front the images aren't as sharp as I'd like them to be, I'd like to share them with the forum as I've never really taken any bird shots I've been proud of before.

Far from my proximity putting it off the little Chiffchaff just sat there almost posing while I snapped away for 92 shots, before flying away.

Sorry for waffling on, just wanted to provide a little context, here are a few faves, I might add one or two more, enjoy:

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[Martyn...]

Tom that poor little soul is not a Wren, but a Chiffchaff which has amazingly not long flown into the country from somewhere in Africa, along with many other species of Warbler (similar sized birds) they make this epic journey here to mate and produce young.

Come the Autumn, once the young have fledged, and fed themselves on the vast array of insects and the like that we have in abundance, they will fly all the way back to Africa.

They do this without a map, and without any help from their parents ... which I think is pretty amazing.

From ringing and recording of these birds, it has been discovered that many return to the place they were born in the UK or Europe.

I like that last one, it's looking up thinking I have just flown a couple of thousand miles, I'm only having a rest, and the paparazzi have found me already

 

[Tom_Chettoe]

Thank you very much Martyn that was very informative. Wow all the way from Africa, thats dedication! So he might have been born in my back garden? thats nice to know, hopefully I'll run into him again! Excuse my ignorance and poor spelling, I'll amend the species to Chiff Chaff. Hopefully he'll return to the garden soon I'd like a sharper image!

 

[Tom_Chettoe]

Sorry for the double post, here is one more image of the Chiffchaff from the set, I think it really encapsulates the phrase "BUSTED".
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