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

Nothin' wrong wi' the Robin Michelene, was a bit fed o' takin' pics too but i seem to have grown to love them even more than before. Yes i am an old softy at heart..lol

I know @tom24 but I seem to have posted a lot of robins lately! Still took the picture of it ! Just for you tho ...robin.JPG
 
Get the gear on a tripod Ian...big difference, keep the vr on too..
A tripod is no good when you are dog walking I'm afraid Tom, a Blackrapid and hand held is the ideal set up for my lifestyle :)

 
Well it did snow, so I had too :)
Just a bit of exif, these were all taken hand held at 1/60 to 1/80 with the Nikon D500 and Nikkor 200-500mm, auto ISO 140 to 320 :)
https://flic.kr/p/22pmidQ

On my screen these look like 6x4 glossy prints! Stunning! The colours and clarity, they are so crispy and clean looking! Nice!
 
Two Kestrels and a naturally framed Coal Tit :)






Hi Ian, I'd definitely recommend upping your SS. I've noticed lately a lot of your shots are looking to have motion blur/camera shake in? You have some fantastic opportunities to get some great pics (envious! :) ). The increased SS will help compensate for maybe the lack of long lens technique? As you said you don't want to use a tripod.

How about a monopod for a dog walk? A lot lighter and will give you better results :)

Wez
 
Hi Ian, I'd definitely recommend upping your SS. I've noticed lately a lot of your shots are looking to have motion blur/camera shake in? You have some fantastic opportunities to get some great pics (envious! :) ). The increased SS will help compensate for maybe the lack of long lens technique? As you said you don't want to use a tripod.

How about a monopod for a dog walk? A lot lighter and will give you better results :)

Wez

Cheers for the input Wez,a monopod would be ok for the static shots, but the birds in flight is another matter :)
 
I am assuming that this is a juvenile male Blackbird ... not fully black but darker than a brown female and showing a spotted chest.


View attachment 116456

Certainly looks like it, I added in a male just above, the eyes look the same. The Bugger kept his back to me, but he has been haunting the area so I'll get a front shot maybe tomorrow :)
 
We had the grandson yesterday, so it was a quick run around the local patch, not the usual leisurely stroll :)

Mallard, Treecreeper, Robin & Goldcrest :)







 
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We had the grandson yesterday, so it was a quick run around the local patch, not the usual leisurely stroll :)

Mallard, Treecreeper, Robin & Goldcrest :)








Beautiful shots. How are you finding the 200-400 compared with the 200-500. Robin is my favourite!!
 
Beautiful shots. How are you finding the 200-400 compared with the 200-500
Cheers Gil, first off well spotted, the 200-400 only arrived late Thursday Afternoon and yesterday was my first very brief outing with it :)
Thoughts so far are :-
1, it's ruddy heavy
2, Colour rendition is better than 200-500
3, Auto focus is a lot faster than 200-500
4, Background separation is better than 200-500
5, Bokeh is better than 200-500
6, Noise levels seem lower at same ISO than the 200-500 (might just be rose tinted glasses though)
7, It was a hell of a lot dearer than the 200-500

Even with it's short falls, for the money the 200-500 is a hell of a lens, and will be going back on the camera through the summer months I should imagine, when the light picks up and the walks get longer, I've lost some confidence in the 200-500 after BeValued (on behalf of the insurers) took ten months to repair it after I had a fall (long story don't ask), but these are my first thoughts after first outing, ask me again in a month or so :)

PS. I purchased a Tamron 150-600 MK1 as a stop gap while the 200-500 was being repaired, it is a very capable lens :)
 
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A poor, heavy cropped record shot of a Ringtail Hen Harrier in thick fog

Why am I so pleased? It was taken local over the South Pennine moors (y)

HH 1024.jpg
 
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