Acrobatic Red Kites in Wales

buckas

buckas

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Drew
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A lovely spring day and what better way to spend it than photographing Red Kites in the heart of Wales! The Red Kite is always one of those birds I never tire of seeing. Having nearly been extinct until recent years, they've made a remarkable comeback thanks to a major conservation drive across Wales and the UK. Now, a true symbol of Wales; being the national bird, it’s fair to say they’re doing great.

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My main aim on this outing was to capture something different from the norm. Having recently acquired a new camera body, I thought I'd put it through it's paces with these fast flyers. They’re renowned for their acrobatic skills, so I wanted to catch them switching into a dive swooping for carrion. Beautiful sunshine really helped me up the shutter speeds and make the stunning plumage stand out as they turn to face the sun.

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These guys are super fast and thankfully the way I set the camera's AF up, helped to track them in flight and keep focus throughout the shots. Now having ten frames per second motor-drive is a real blessing when shooting birds like this as it really gives you a lot of choice when it's comes to post processing.

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Once I knew I'd bagged some good shots, starting playing around with low shutter speeds (1/80 second) and trying to capture movement in some images, not 100% sharp but it's more of an impression of colour and motion.

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When these birds turn, it can create some real abstract poses, some of which shown below.

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And I thought the below image was interesting, the bottom Kite staring at it's dropped scrap of meat (just see it in front of the tree trunk) as it's chased by another Kite.

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All images on this page taken with Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, EF300 2.8IS & 1.4x II Extender

In other news, I'm very excited to announce that in the next few weeks I shall be offering Red Kite photography workshops at this venue in Mid Wales. You'll get to spend an afternoon photographing these fantastic birds up close and you will learn about using the correct camera settings for birds in flight, improving your tracking skills and learning about general wildlife photography techniques so you can come away with some great images from your visit.

Cheers,
drew
 
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A nice selection of some very familiar action :)
That 1st is a little different though, with it's straight edges (y)
 
Wow, some cracking shots................:)
 
A tidy set Drew well done. Good colour and detail.
Which cam body was used to capture these please.
 
Super shots Drew of a majestic bird thanks for showing them....Nige.
 
I like these, it shows a stunningly efficient shape off in a beautifully lit way. I know how tough it can be to get such fast birds in sharp focus when they are doing their thing.
 
I was happy with a couple of mine from Loch Ken this week till I saw yours and now I am in a right huff.
 
wow, only ever seen these way too high for detail, fantastic Drew.
Although I've been here for years I'm still a point and shoot, posts like this is why I'm a regular
Amazing
 
Superb! Where can one try for such pictures. Whenever I see a raptor it is just fleeting before they disappear to patrol an area out of range!!
 
Superb collection of wonderful images.
kind regards

Tony
 
Thanks everyone, very much appreciated!

Cheers,
Drew
 
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