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

Further to my earlier posts of Robin & Nuthatch Fledglings visiting the garden, it was the turn of the Sparrow today. All these youngsters are costing me a small fortune.:D

I need to get a longer lens, so will probably buy a Sigma / Tamron 150-600mm superzoom at the end of the month to stop the large cropping.

Female with fledglings

Sparrow Fledglings by Swansea Jack, on Flickr

Male with a fledgling

Sparrow Fledglings by Swansea Jack, on Flickr

Feeding

Sparrow Fledglings by Swansea Jack, on Flickr

Feeding

Sparrow Fledglings by Swansea Jack, on Flickr
 
Not quite from today but...best out of many shots with a nikon 200-500 the other day.

Does anyone know why the image on here is bigger (matches original), and softer (it's really pretty poor and nothing like the original), than the image that shows with the magnifying tool on flickr itself? Or does that just happen for me?

Original is here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5159779/pippit from flickr.jpg I'd be grateful if someone could tell me if the forum version looks comparatively soft to them, and the flickr version smaller. I might need to reinstall something. :mad:
DSC_0976 pippit by featheries101, on Flickr
 
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A Grey Heron I spotted on a walk into town, it does like to sit around here - usually when I've only got the 24-105mm L as was the case today...

grey-heron-6364.jpg
 
guess&press said:
Not quite from today but...best out of many shots with a nikon 200-500 the other day.

Does anyone know why the image on here is bigger (matches original), and softer (it's really pretty poor and nothing like the original), than the image that shows with the magnifying tool on flickr itself? Or does that just happen for me?

Original is here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5159779/pippit from flickr.jpg I'd be grateful if someone could tell me if the forum version looks comparatively soft to them, and the flickr version smaller. I might need to reinstall something. :mad:
DSC_0976 pippit by featheries101, on Flickr
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If it's any help, they look the same to me.

But, the forum has been known to decrease softness from time to time :)
 
Record shot of 4 Kestrel chicks in the nest, think they're around 8 days old, these were lovely to see :)

Taken late evening on Sunday, I will be returning in some better light! :D

Kestrel Chicks by Phil D, on Flickr
 
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wezza13 said:
If it's any help, they look the same to me.

But, the forum has been known to decrease softness from time to time :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, and you've helped me sort out the problem! I didn't realise the forum scales the picture to fit the browser window; I'd assumed (because I wasn't looking properly) that the image was always displayed at 100% and scroll bars would appear if there wasn't enough space to show it. Which is clearly mad. So FINALLY I understand why images look soft on here. Doh! :oops: :$ (I know people do have occasional issues with softness but this was a permanent thing for me.)

The image still looks smaller on the flickr site than the original or the way this forum shows it when given space, but that's for another forum.
 
molly said:
Well spotted, wow.
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Thanks Molly, I've had mi eye on the pair for a few weeks but couldn't just pin point the nest, if I'm being honest I had it down to another tree just in front of this one.

Returning on Sunday evening, the chicks had hatched since my last visit making it easier to see where the nest was, the chicks don't half squark when one of the adult birds return with food :D
 
WWA said:
Some great shots on this page. Kestrel chicks, Merlin and a kite, very jelous of those spots and @Swanseajack I love the pose of the coal in the second shot. Great work all round. @PINNACLE that 1st merlin shot is something special.
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Thanks, I liked it also, due to the fact, it looks like its on a fair ride or something and holding on with fear:)
 
Managed to save a youngster that fell out of the nest today. I was window cleaning and heard a great commotion about 10 feet away. Baby Blue Tit had fallen out of the nest and landed near to me. "Quick, grab the ladder!".

End result, safely back in nest.

Made me wonder afterwards though did the others push it out of the nest? It certainly wasn't old enough to fledge yet, which was the only reason why I put it back in its nest or else I wouldn't have interfered :)
 
Popped out for a bit of Hobby action yesterday and what a day 5 buzzing around for a few hours plus a few others popped in. Missed the shot but also had a Kestrel come past catching dragonflies.


A Hobby chasing chasers by Martin Billard, on Flickr


Hobby catching dragonfly by Martin Billard, on Flickr


Hobby eating a Downy Emerald by Martin Billard, on Flickr


Teal (Anas crecca) m by Martin Billard, on Flickr


Black Headed Gull by Martin Billard, on Flickr


Curlew keeping an eye on me by Martin Billard, on Flickr
 
Really enjoying these Kestrels :) and the light was good today

Strange behaviour though, the female came back with a kill ( you can just see it in her left talons, right as we look) as she entered the branches, I'm guessing what is pollen from the tree, plumed up like smoke and spook her, you'd have thought she'd have been use to it :confused:

Anyway she circled the tree and entered from lower down

Technically far from perfect but you don't get no warning and she comes in like lightning :D

Female Kestrel and chicks by Phil D, on Flickr
 
@PINNACLE

All good shots Martin but love the Hobby shots, if you weren't in Guilford, I'd be keen to meet up! :D
 
Phil-D said:
Really enjoying these Kestrels :) and the light was good today

Strange behaviour though, the female came back with a kill ( you can just see it in her left talons, right as we look) as she entered the branches, I'm guessing what is pollen from the tree, plumed up like smoke and spook her, you'd have thought she'd have been use to it :confused:

Anyway she circled the tree and entered from lower down

Technically far from perfect but you don't get no warning and she comes in like lightning :D

Female Kestrel and chicks by Phil D, on Flickr
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Very strange. Maybe the fact that there was so much of it suggests that she's has taken a slightly different route in and theres been a lot of pollen on that bit and so spooked her?! Just a guess. How long until she returned?
 
WWA said:
Very strange. Maybe the fact that there was so much of it suggests that she's has taken a slightly different route in and theres been a lot of pollen on that bit and so spooked her?! Just a guess. How long until she returned?
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She circled the tree and dropped in lower down, so not long.

I was surprised though at the amount that came up, it looked more like smoke!
 
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Grey sky, mist drifting across a field and light rain, not ideal for taking a photo of a bird on wire but I just had to give it a go. A family of Linnets they were and a most dazzleing male. They were looking down at a field of hay, masses of seeded grass. In particular Sheep Sorrel, they love that seed. I messed about with the settings for ages and eventually came up with these photos. I try to keep the iso as low as poss for sharpness. Any tips would be appricated.
Linnet 10th 2016 by shirleyr2009, on Flickr


Family of Linnets by shirleyr2009, on Flickr
 
molly said:
Any tips would be appricated
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Hiya Molly, the best tip for the conditions you've describe is leave the camera at home :D but we all know that doesn't happen and I'm as guilty as the rest of us for trying to take photos when the light is against me :)

I would say your a little underexposed on the bird with these. Your exif says spot metering was used and +1 stop exposure compensation added.

This is how I'd have shot these, this is my way and others may do it different :)

I shoot in manual most of the time and certainly would for the conditions you had here. I matrix meter all the time, ( I never changed to spot) that way I've got a good understanding of how the meter is reading the overall picture and when its completely fooled by bad light conditions.

Choose the shutter speed your happy with, @ 400mm I'd want min 500th handheld, usually wide open, then adjust ISO appropriately, I would start at 2 stops overexposed on the meter. If I wasn't happy and the bird was still perched, I'd adjust ISO by a third +/-. In shots like these, the sky isn't the subject, don't worry if its blown out as long as the detail is there on the bird.

Its all practise, I still get it wrong, but more often than not these days, I can read the meter and at least get it close.

The shot below is far from perfect but its a good example of what I'm trying to explain, 500th @ 1000 ISO, shot in raw so I can pull back the highlights a bit and lift the shadows on the bird.

Hope that's a little help :)

Kez - Copy.jpg
 
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A quick visit to the Kestrel chicks this morning, just managed to dodge the rain, all look to be doing well (y)

SOOC, apart from a very heavy crop

Kestrel chicks by Phil D, on Flickr
 
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