tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24574168677318926722024-03-04T23:53:26.512-08:00igblog2Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-27709442531466176892013-05-19T12:10:00.000-07:002013-05-19T12:10:46.170-07:00TEXEL.Texel (pronounced Tessel) is a small island off the north-west coast of Holland, accessed by a short ferry ride from Den Helder. It's only about 15 miles long, mostly flat as a pancake, and mostly agricultural. However, there are plenty of good birding areas, with an extensive coastal dune and wetland system on its west side, with other small wetland areas scattered around the rest of the island. It's position on the north/south migration route makes for a great species list, and there are some significant breeding species such as Spoonbill and Bluethroat that make a visit well worthwhile.<br />
I was there late April on an "Instructional Photo Tour" with ace American bird photographer, Arthur Morris (www.birdsasart.com), whose blog I follow regularly, as it gives great advice for bird photographers as well as showing his great images. It's the first trip I've been on that was dedicated to photographers, rather than birders trying to get as big a list as possible, and it was great working with a bunch of like-minded people (6 Americans, 1 Dutchman, and 1 German). We all got some good advice on technique in the field, as well as some useful "Photoshop" tuition, and, despite my advancing years, I learned a lot. I particularly learned to keep shooting despite inclement weather (the coldest Spring on record in Holland meant birds were few), and that nice images can be made with common species (common to us Europeans, that is - a Black-headed Gull is a new species for most Yanks!). Here are a few images that survived Artie's critique!<br />
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Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) in Summer plumage.<br />
There were plenty of these around, some still in winter plumage, some moulting, and some in this wonderful Summer plumage.<br />
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Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) mating.<br />
Because of the cold Spring, most species (apart from the Avocets) hadn't started nesting, but the low temperature didn't put these two off getting started.<br />
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Sandwich Terns (Sterna sandvicensis) attempting mating.</div>
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The same applies to this pair.</div>
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Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) in flight.<br />
There's always a good chance of flight shots around a Tern colony. In the original image the bird was too far to the right in the frame, but by the use of the Move Tool in Photoshop, a better position was achieved.<br />
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Common Gull (Larus canus) in flight.</div>
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You need both the sun and the wind coming from behind you, and a liberal supply of bread to get flight shots that aren't plagued by shadows, although the belly and part of the under-tail could be a bit lighter here.</div>
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Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) in Summer plumage.</div>
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Plenty of bread, again!</div>
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Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus), Summer plumage, close-up.</div>
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Despite being a "dirt-bird" to us, they are actually quite smart.</div>
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All images were made with a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 1D Mk IV and 500 F4 Mk II lens</span>, (with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">2X converter</span> on the Godwit and mating Terns), except the Common Gull, which was taken with a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"> 100-400mm zoom</span>.</div>
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-5286800356130937242013-04-18T02:14:00.000-07:002013-04-18T02:14:45.195-07:00BEE-EATERS.If you like your birds with a bit of colour, there's nothing to beat Bee-eaters. I tried many years ago in Gambia to see Carmine Bee-eater and failed, and I need to see one before I die! These images were taken in Sri Lanka this February, where the good light enhances the fantastic colours. They are the three common ones, with European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) being the only other one as an uncommon migrant. Because they are catching insects on the wing, they usually return to the same branch, and being reasonably confiding, they are a pleasure to photograph. All the images were taken with the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon 1D Mk IV and 500mm L IS MkII lens</span>.<br />
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Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus).<br />
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Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti).<br />
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Chestnut-headed Bee-eater.<br />
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Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis).</div>
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Green Bee-eater.</div>
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-80356981871157385162013-04-18T01:44:00.001-07:002013-04-18T01:44:44.982-07:00BITTERNSI can't seem to stop seeing Bitterns (Botaurus stellaris) just lately. After excellent views of two birds at RSPB Blacktoft last August, I've since seen them recently at Far Ings (just over the Humber Bridge - a Lincolnshire WT reserve), Minsmere RSPB reserve, and Hickling Broad (a Norfolk WT reserve). Today I hear there is one on Filey Brigg!<br />
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Images 1 -3 Minsmere. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon 7D and 100-400 L IS zoom</span>, somewhat against the light.<br />
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Images 4 and 5 Far Ings. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon 1D Mk IV, 500mm L IS MkII and 2x converter</span>. Better light.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCljie0-l1KtI96UJmmCG-io1Pkt9Wc26assIqJIlorXEg0f5qxL8djYrId-3h7bu34Q89gZpCa3BHfdlT_elAF3fALrG38xmk2BbzXkPooFNc2Zgqt0ze5VDHiQmlCZ96l97GitewAw/s1600/bittern+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCljie0-l1KtI96UJmmCG-io1Pkt9Wc26assIqJIlorXEg0f5qxL8djYrId-3h7bu34Q89gZpCa3BHfdlT_elAF3fALrG38xmk2BbzXkPooFNc2Zgqt0ze5VDHiQmlCZ96l97GitewAw/s640/bittern+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdmoiHV29j0F1J8tJPatwFDaKlK-sSnMPgrQ68K1XGJMUGBsjBUtXHf6k6Wc5yruNOU7lPga0KkGimocO5kzK7q1mWO8Igo4ZXEO6bNrPJXww30TjSNi0MUW-xX8I4NHYcjreBYzcGCM/s1600/bittern+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdmoiHV29j0F1J8tJPatwFDaKlK-sSnMPgrQ68K1XGJMUGBsjBUtXHf6k6Wc5yruNOU7lPga0KkGimocO5kzK7q1mWO8Igo4ZXEO6bNrPJXww30TjSNi0MUW-xX8I4NHYcjreBYzcGCM/s640/bittern+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's great to know these spectacular birds are making a bit of a comeback, and, with luck or patience, are becoming easier to see. A small triumph for Conservation.</div>
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Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-65695998243214369332013-03-04T01:54:00.001-08:002013-03-04T01:54:53.258-08:00GOOD LIGHTBright sunny days seem to be a premium in the UK of late, so it was a real pleasure to have a holiday in Sri Lanka during early February, and miss the snow and freezing conditions at home. Although we did get some wet days there, the light was always good, making photography a pleasure rather than a battle with the elements! Here are a few selected images from the trip, taken with either a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 7D and 100-400mm zoom, or a 1D Mk IV and 500mm F4.</span><br />
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White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqx7Yp4VlL2LjEXJ_dOVgIKerDOBSytBvNI1thZ7gLBPCsr5XtSjWlu_vrdGzE5k7cf21ofoybX9LxGLGEeI4z47FckKk609b37MIEs2EDyPiJ9K9quBShOokLJQuHtGPje_p-rfCWpsQ/s1600/White-throated+Kingfisher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqx7Yp4VlL2LjEXJ_dOVgIKerDOBSytBvNI1thZ7gLBPCsr5XtSjWlu_vrdGzE5k7cf21ofoybX9LxGLGEeI4z47FckKk609b37MIEs2EDyPiJ9K9quBShOokLJQuHtGPje_p-rfCWpsQ/s640/White-throated+Kingfisher.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Spot-billed Pelican (Pelicanus philippensis).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wk6zXK8E1iluNv5MnxZ9ZLe2suYitnflxO-JPJMGRrS7qRkMf1WclJBif7XVBOA1CAIE4wq8-L3rBTK7bpNBstTl6-TkcAx67tFisYu-YXmzOm5N50QBpm-G-AWrkLvyqZJFuSRXdOQ/s1600/Spot-billed+Pelican.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wk6zXK8E1iluNv5MnxZ9ZLe2suYitnflxO-JPJMGRrS7qRkMf1WclJBif7XVBOA1CAIE4wq8-L3rBTK7bpNBstTl6-TkcAx67tFisYu-YXmzOm5N50QBpm-G-AWrkLvyqZJFuSRXdOQ/s640/Spot-billed+Pelican.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerdYWRyCD2ygcvqKSO1sfn48qQeneH2y80eBrmnHmPdsOdEDszvurZxyU7tKSlbgqGqJlRaE9-MU0VtZaz5rJjCknVZJKLGqRXM9NgxopSvYY9OcvPTJfNNxAuoMnv-PqpP02brz4b-o/s1600/Red-wattled+Lapwing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerdYWRyCD2ygcvqKSO1sfn48qQeneH2y80eBrmnHmPdsOdEDszvurZxyU7tKSlbgqGqJlRaE9-MU0VtZaz5rJjCknVZJKLGqRXM9NgxopSvYY9OcvPTJfNNxAuoMnv-PqpP02brz4b-o/s640/Red-wattled+Lapwing.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Great Thick-knee (Esacus recurvirostris).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hPiP5z-8LZW1bu6dx0IJBztdgXiEFDGJ6B8X4S4syvvepuEP_f3oY654XcHsjFdEUK-Q1hODEEb_LevVKP1DCJuRwESR6hONiT03Nl0okZNTgNpg8kHakj076qBenwFJMiFy-gctZco/s1600/Great+Thick-knee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hPiP5z-8LZW1bu6dx0IJBztdgXiEFDGJ6B8X4S4syvvepuEP_f3oY654XcHsjFdEUK-Q1hODEEb_LevVKP1DCJuRwESR6hONiT03Nl0okZNTgNpg8kHakj076qBenwFJMiFy-gctZco/s640/Great+Thick-knee.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Orange-breasted Green Pigeon (Treron bicinctus).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMLVM6TmbX_8OaTHHUc3ATQFYQXWDvafrEAl5Ak-A8z8nmbbpIfV6uiqngtPnCBGz9fWCLCFgtbC9YDchjXoX7MF7esrQtcu3DQRHw8lBg5Zs6TUvVCcUsY_HZhLagusLaAFZjfShc60/s1600/Orange-breasted+Green+Pigeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMLVM6TmbX_8OaTHHUc3ATQFYQXWDvafrEAl5Ak-A8z8nmbbpIfV6uiqngtPnCBGz9fWCLCFgtbC9YDchjXoX7MF7esrQtcu3DQRHw8lBg5Zs6TUvVCcUsY_HZhLagusLaAFZjfShc60/s640/Orange-breasted+Green+Pigeon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Black-shouldered (-winged) Kite (Elanus caeruleus).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiad-dTAmXdd7RYJh12mv2I3sG4BLhZW6Ia_KZ1fQoE2QE3Umw8bmyaC0kge-07NZWnwyJXwVwl5Qf34Jt_9oPBEbpwMuqWHuAsqK9GMbr2KKTZQUHglLa3Ed-UBfkC3a_2dO9oU1cW4/s1600/Black-shouldered+Kite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiad-dTAmXdd7RYJh12mv2I3sG4BLhZW6Ia_KZ1fQoE2QE3Umw8bmyaC0kge-07NZWnwyJXwVwl5Qf34Jt_9oPBEbpwMuqWHuAsqK9GMbr2KKTZQUHglLa3Ed-UBfkC3a_2dO9oU1cW4/s640/Black-shouldered+Kite.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Sri Lanka is a superb place for a wildlife holiday. More images to follow.</div>
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Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-90433612097158357812013-02-01T13:52:00.000-08:002013-02-01T13:52:13.745-08:00OLD FAITHFULSWhen there isn't much to photograph around Scarborough, you can rely on our winter visitors, the Mediterranean Gulls at Holbeck car park. All you need is a camera (not necessarily a big one!), and a packet of plain crisps. I had seven around today, in a mass of Black-headed Gulls. The sun was actually shining, so conditions were perfect for a change. Some of the Meds are beginning to acquire more black on the head, and one was definitely feeling the joys of Spring, displaying to any other that came near.<br />
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All images on<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"> Canon EOS 1D MkIV and 500mm F4 IS USM Mk II. Hand held or monopod.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIK22pWz_261sRvGf6ZSQqGsRqRjeWaoEBnw5nNGuNvoO-YgJAhEVvW1owCGTe0ky4u_9vu-FXgQu8J3aSKJhlQ1nu83edGrusIleZht18dgiQWuLOLuX-3RPsAI-HrIZ009mRLtlO3CU/s1600/Med+gull+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIK22pWz_261sRvGf6ZSQqGsRqRjeWaoEBnw5nNGuNvoO-YgJAhEVvW1owCGTe0ky4u_9vu-FXgQu8J3aSKJhlQ1nu83edGrusIleZht18dgiQWuLOLuX-3RPsAI-HrIZ009mRLtlO3CU/s640/Med+gull+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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This is a second winter bird with black in it's primaries.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzb0l3vfnQn2J9dLInE_gG0C-KFUZum4eNmeZ2jkeFIu-1qsDM9WiezKji8SKlwKWcTiOmwb0DdiGQXmBgbzh6Dv4JggRANzmfXtkkExUF-g3OAjlgivM8YdWfjAAQMcXjb53I-0bVY4/s1600/Med+gull+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzb0l3vfnQn2J9dLInE_gG0C-KFUZum4eNmeZ2jkeFIu-1qsDM9WiezKji8SKlwKWcTiOmwb0DdiGQXmBgbzh6Dv4JggRANzmfXtkkExUF-g3OAjlgivM8YdWfjAAQMcXjb53I-0bVY4/s640/Med+gull+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Display involves throwing the head back and opening the wings slightly whilst calling.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgDCNG_mWdojEn3otGSWB9j5hFtWwYI6QkvS5bEiGLE_NCXFY7j3X-Vi-ORM6e_8O-Ug3mKMeGRKIhNJ_y3nnD_PsiraR7rBdYvOq5xGmWB-cYm6YKGIeoeCZg7WWI4rp9r2skuSC1XE/s1600/Med+gull+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgDCNG_mWdojEn3otGSWB9j5hFtWwYI6QkvS5bEiGLE_NCXFY7j3X-Vi-ORM6e_8O-Ug3mKMeGRKIhNJ_y3nnD_PsiraR7rBdYvOq5xGmWB-cYm6YKGIeoeCZg7WWI4rp9r2skuSC1XE/s640/Med+gull+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As long as you keep throwing the Walkers Ready Salted, they'll keep coming!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqF2tYw3UwROQSmNuiLPnHYgscrRIZF43PbBfa1ErJ15HwvT7lLu5zzssgq9Lb7luYh8ffLQIVwGPqUFctX7yhFmOSIceTmkft1P5Jht7EyY2qurS4Ri6P2CmHSfI8W7BUxydcpxh5e8/s1600/Med+gull+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqF2tYw3UwROQSmNuiLPnHYgscrRIZF43PbBfa1ErJ15HwvT7lLu5zzssgq9Lb7luYh8ffLQIVwGPqUFctX7yhFmOSIceTmkft1P5Jht7EyY2qurS4Ri6P2CmHSfI8W7BUxydcpxh5e8/s640/Med+gull+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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500mm is a bit too chunky for close flight shots. I need to go back with a shorter lens.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCwwwpUeMx-1_USZYCsSNCoa0Kmj0n70TALuPfajQHac7g2uYxVjch2XbieWFXW7IVoqV4aQFKfHpX_I4hsId7dcHB_hx_DVSQGgAN9zgVEveGUJ1Hs3zI_6j05cvI1J84t8kkLUDvIo/s1600/Med+gull+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCwwwpUeMx-1_USZYCsSNCoa0Kmj0n70TALuPfajQHac7g2uYxVjch2XbieWFXW7IVoqV4aQFKfHpX_I4hsId7dcHB_hx_DVSQGgAN9zgVEveGUJ1Hs3zI_6j05cvI1J84t8kkLUDvIo/s640/Med+gull+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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After I'd run out of crisps, I went to see the Water Rail at Northstead Manor Gardens. It showed very briefly on two or three occasions, but too quick for me to get any shots off. The light was wrong, so I went to Filey Dams. Quiet there too, but the ever faithful Tree Sparrows were performing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ojKtlC6jgzXOe6VzoCPUusVPs97y9wLcNhPV4x2hKmRVa_vVzxMi4A3-vWAgMLpCJEVOZN08aYm0t-euO2-n-5ytF2bqcBB52FCE2Sx6_cLTGykO9VwdqBPaYu0PZUs3p1opW8eJsm4/s1600/Tree+Sparrow+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ojKtlC6jgzXOe6VzoCPUusVPs97y9wLcNhPV4x2hKmRVa_vVzxMi4A3-vWAgMLpCJEVOZN08aYm0t-euO2-n-5ytF2bqcBB52FCE2Sx6_cLTGykO9VwdqBPaYu0PZUs3p1opW8eJsm4/s640/Tree+Sparrow+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-76020462818415632962013-01-27T04:22:00.000-08:002013-01-27T04:22:20.143-08:00SINKING SUNShooting into the sun can give some interesting silhouettes, but it can also give some interest to the background if there is a nice colourful sunset. The images of the Short-eared Owl here were shot into a setting sun, and give a pleasant "half-silhouette" with a peach of a sky. The image of the Great-black Backed Gull were taken with the setting sun to the left, and give a nice tint with the brown background complimenting the fading light - a bit more interesting than the usual black and white bird against a blue or white sky.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ihFl99-OZPaAIhiLidxz5Ta7XbafelJVxeIWR2lQ3WsXP1nQmtCxSR6hrFDB3VdgIg15PMizBeXfuQXWMBzFpOU7OBcLhpEZ7W-x4KRqlFOoyG5FZCn-nvouzsLjuLS0-m09Xp3aRQw/s1600/SEO+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ihFl99-OZPaAIhiLidxz5Ta7XbafelJVxeIWR2lQ3WsXP1nQmtCxSR6hrFDB3VdgIg15PMizBeXfuQXWMBzFpOU7OBcLhpEZ7W-x4KRqlFOoyG5FZCn-nvouzsLjuLS0-m09Xp3aRQw/s640/SEO+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04_tObb2kYAZW-ygp44U8yiiK81B5vKdXORYC8sEVID2-dOHZQljigCKuKjJuy2vp6UYwAyX8jKXEj2b8EFv4uYxEMIQvVLZXHgb2PDd8WC7f06Qgrxo3IHCgHc5nhRaRZbMGMaB7niY/s1600/SEO+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04_tObb2kYAZW-ygp44U8yiiK81B5vKdXORYC8sEVID2-dOHZQljigCKuKjJuy2vp6UYwAyX8jKXEj2b8EFv4uYxEMIQvVLZXHgb2PDd8WC7f06Qgrxo3IHCgHc5nhRaRZbMGMaB7niY/s640/SEO+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-33295156073590434972013-01-24T09:32:00.000-08:002013-01-24T09:32:43.627-08:00"PURPS"It's been nearly four months since my last post - lousy weather being the main reason for a lack of output. I did spend two weeks in Germany seeing my daughter get her Ph.D but didn't get much birding time, and the weather there was no better than here. We returned mid-December to find a Council worker had put his JCB through the telephone line to our village, so no 'phone, internet or e-mail for the next 10 days. Then it was Christmas, New Year and all, and, since then we've had one sunny day!<br />
In desperation, I went to the harbour this afternoon to photograph our flock of Purple Sandpipers. The light (or lack of it) was depressing, but with the aid of a bit of white-balance adjustment and a fair dose of 'shopping, I got some half-decent images, but no sparkle from the sun.<br />
The problem with the Purps is that they go there to roost at high tide so just sit there asleep with heads tucked under their wings. You just have to hang about until one moves!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">All images were taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mk IV, F4 500mm IS II lens and 1.4 Mk III converter on a Gitzo tripod.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">1/30th sec @F14, ISO 1600.</span><br />
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-7974862797715667092012-10-02T13:40:00.000-07:002012-10-02T13:40:00.275-07:00"PELAGIC""Of or relating to the open sea" - Collins dictionary definition. Does a few miles off Flamborough Head on the Yorkshire Belle qualify? Well, it was good fun anyway. The recent easterly storm might have been expected to leave a few interesting birds in the North Sea, even though a westerly was blowing. However, it wasn't to be. A distant flock of Common Scoter, and about 16 Manx Shearwater were the highlights. Someone reported a Sooty Shearwater, and a Black Tern, but neither were announced over the tannoy, so I didn't see them. Chrys Mellor was throwing plenty of "chum" over the stern, which only attracted a multitude of Herring and Greater Black-backer Gulls. Skuas were remarkable by their complete absence. A few Manxies came within shooting distance, but even with a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">500mm lens on a 1D</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Mk IV</span>, it was pushing it a bit. The only compensation was the light, which remained good throughout the three and a half hour trip. If you want gull photos, this trip is for you (courtesy of the RSPB).<br />
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Juvenile Greater Black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus).<br />
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Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus).</div>
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Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-8870836761677800902012-10-01T07:16:00.002-07:002012-10-01T07:16:49.959-07:00NORTHUMBERLANDJust had a few days on the Northumberland Coast, staying near Holy Island. I've good memories of birding there in my youth, so it was nice to have a chance to re-visit some sites and find some new ones. The wind was westerly at first, and Holy Island was quiet, but then all hell broke loose with the intense depression causing heavy rain and strong easterlies for a couple of days. I visited Hauxley where the sea was pretty rough. Three Bonxies and two Arctic Skuas in about five minutes, with plenty of gannets and Auks constituted a brief seawatch. An adult Little Gull was on the main pool, and a nice male Common Redstart was skulking in the undergrowth keeping out of the gale. Cresswell and Druridge were quiet. On Holy Island there had been a moderate fall of migrants, with Redstarts, Spotted and Pied Flycatchers, Robins and Song Thrushes in good numbers. Rarities included Wryneck, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Hawfinch and Yellow-browed Warbler, none of which I saw. Staking out an Arctic Warbler at the Lindisfarne Hotel proved fruitless the first time, but next day (after a cloudy night), it was still there, and good views were had by several birders. I got one or two poor photos of it.<br />
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Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis).<br />
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The whole coast is good. Bar-tailed Godwits were the commonest wader, and there were plenty of Curlew, Golden and Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin, and even a few Sanderling. Three Short-eared Owls circling together overhead on Holy Island was a bonus, as was an Osprey perched on one of the posts along the old pilgrims causeway.<br />
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Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus).<br />
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Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata).</div>
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Pale-bellied Brent Geese (Branta bernicla).</div>
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Curlew (Numenius arquata).</div>
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I've always found Curlew difficult to photograph, but on a rising tide at Budle Bay, it's possible to park your car by the estuary edge and get quite close without disturbing them, using the car as a hide.</div>
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-11244947794394389232012-08-17T08:43:00.000-07:002012-08-17T08:45:43.883-07:00IT PAYS TO HANG AROUNDI went to Filey Dams this morning, in the off chance of a few waders being present. The light was reasonable - high cloud and bright, but no sun. Having explored the view from both hides, I was disappointed to find there were no waders at all - not even a Lapwing. It started spotting with rain, so I thought I would call it a day (at 9-30 a.m.)! On returning to the car-park I decided to have a last look in the main hide. A Greenshank had dropped in, but was distant, so I stayed in the hope it would come within range. It did, shortly followed by another one, then a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, another Green Sand., and a single Black-tailed Godwit (which stayed behind the bund, out of sight). This group of waders performed well in front of the hide, when they weren't being chased by Moorhens, and I rapidly filled two memory cards and flattened a battery. Some of the images follow. It goes to show one shouldn't be too eager to throw in the towel.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos). Canon EOS 1D MkIV, 500mm F4 + 1.4X converter.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgYc3b5nyh9hSYQqOnNFb9bqsKU6EGAFTYli0DhbDlKg8mOUP4f-kV4m6xD87ZiEaPRe52k3MIUg5u2nr9iO5MqHkCSj0zE6n6lzy9cpB6cxBL29_ZqZ69VZlBfqlUZM4iNga_j-SRvg/s1600/Common+Sandpiper+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgYc3b5nyh9hSYQqOnNFb9bqsKU6EGAFTYli0DhbDlKg8mOUP4f-kV4m6xD87ZiEaPRe52k3MIUg5u2nr9iO5MqHkCSj0zE6n6lzy9cpB6cxBL29_ZqZ69VZlBfqlUZM4iNga_j-SRvg/s640/Common+Sandpiper+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus). Equipment as above.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSjm9pDn_e2eunF9wPBwuVp5FexK3rAn6m5HYQR7uK1IZfCnVGDz6k1YIemjePWZ2tzap8tcF598F3iUXoLhcvxH9BAJru24izn5hWmVB4xiI1K7YOkFETrVp-v2DAAkrl6Sa-blcRxg/s1600/Green+Sandpiper+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSjm9pDn_e2eunF9wPBwuVp5FexK3rAn6m5HYQR7uK1IZfCnVGDz6k1YIemjePWZ2tzap8tcF598F3iUXoLhcvxH9BAJru24izn5hWmVB4xiI1K7YOkFETrVp-v2DAAkrl6Sa-blcRxg/s640/Green+Sandpiper+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Greenshank (Tringa nebularia). As above with 2X converter.</span> A consummate wader - one of my favourites.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjapUOddAS53TM3Kj2vT6qml8d8mg00tRYgXSXptmwduwWpT2Q31cmBLMnZQSGoYdXHhuGGQ00TWC7_T3rJ3HSSL12ObT4fE0rWEwnPDF5lFpwJEWVf8ZSx4IAffl-_4R35m7iUIdqYOk/s1600/Greenshank+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjapUOddAS53TM3Kj2vT6qml8d8mg00tRYgXSXptmwduwWpT2Q31cmBLMnZQSGoYdXHhuGGQ00TWC7_T3rJ3HSSL12ObT4fE0rWEwnPDF5lFpwJEWVf8ZSx4IAffl-_4R35m7iUIdqYOk/s640/Greenshank+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Greenshank preening. Equipment as above.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqA38XDmiLxNYqzBu4lKprl5MSMoImgO0VJjI_S0aMt2ex0QXvl5PSz5-Y5-c2jVv6z9Gy7dkR4t0IL0ka0HgPWesJ-lpP99i_gairpLc0XapdAxwxRuZ3D3dTo-CeRt5eBCL0W5dMI0/s1600/Greenshank+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqA38XDmiLxNYqzBu4lKprl5MSMoImgO0VJjI_S0aMt2ex0QXvl5PSz5-Y5-c2jVv6z9Gy7dkR4t0IL0ka0HgPWesJ-lpP99i_gairpLc0XapdAxwxRuZ3D3dTo-CeRt5eBCL0W5dMI0/s640/Greenshank+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Greenshanks: the next four images were taken with the 1.4X converter.</span> The pair stayed together most of the time, but occasionally had a go at each other if they got too close.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAF92t16Uimo6-TOEKKKyxCvG2hlwmxJGoOBzZzMe3I1jM-c8LXnRbycigJ8O99KyO4J9NjNtfkZS4DXjL_NNM780I3fz5w2zVRnNNdq4vYY48fPlshS4j1z37kvRqP6hPxgHmP3p0Qc/s1600/Greenshanks+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAF92t16Uimo6-TOEKKKyxCvG2hlwmxJGoOBzZzMe3I1jM-c8LXnRbycigJ8O99KyO4J9NjNtfkZS4DXjL_NNM780I3fz5w2zVRnNNdq4vYY48fPlshS4j1z37kvRqP6hPxgHmP3p0Qc/s640/Greenshanks+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUutXKps-wEcJA7otdZchgUCi9YdjkRcNhOkYUerKtcPXRq8rqvTM1qN-jMqTGCF2HE5kDnZfRPLZTrhc6ya6IAYPzUXrS8MHN4j8R7s4IpVhjk0D0C8yQTjzVNcTzOb5oPnUMQbVo4CQ/s1600/Greenshanks+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUutXKps-wEcJA7otdZchgUCi9YdjkRcNhOkYUerKtcPXRq8rqvTM1qN-jMqTGCF2HE5kDnZfRPLZTrhc6ya6IAYPzUXrS8MHN4j8R7s4IpVhjk0D0C8yQTjzVNcTzOb5oPnUMQbVo4CQ/s640/Greenshanks+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptA3SeEOFcwFGgZ19md4bb03HcWJ7vmx7_BDJGv8K1jvbsCA1EHrd77Ku-v90ykwY6QAB4BZxZKBnLvPUmo56FkgfOtgcsYsHONDvhAjHYLOt9orndBWNGxyY930fpTmJ7QTCR2kHH4s/s1600/Greenshanks+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptA3SeEOFcwFGgZ19md4bb03HcWJ7vmx7_BDJGv8K1jvbsCA1EHrd77Ku-v90ykwY6QAB4BZxZKBnLvPUmo56FkgfOtgcsYsHONDvhAjHYLOt9orndBWNGxyY930fpTmJ7QTCR2kHH4s/s640/Greenshanks+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-23004281679777742552012-07-23T02:41:00.000-07:002012-07-23T02:41:52.816-07:00A WATERY DIVERSIONWith the appalling weather lately, and it being breeding season, the bird photography has taken a back seat. There haven't been many insects to chase either, so I had a dabble in the garden pond, which certainly has plenty of water in it. It's full of tadpoles that don't seem to be developing beyond the two-legged stage, and there are some newts as well. I had a dredge around with a net to see what was lurking, and then tried a bit of dark-field macro photography on the results. This involves placing semi-opaque or translucent subjects on a glass stage over a black background, and lighting from below at 45 degrees from the camera axis. In theory, one gets an image with a pure black background and light shining through the subject. It's not as easy as it sounds. The water has to be spotlessly clean, as all the detritus shows up as bright spots, so you spend an inordinate amount of time cloning-out the unwanted bits, but the end result can be quite nice. One of the problems is that unless you are an expert on freshwater life, you don't know what you are photographing, but it's fun!<br />
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Newt sp. elt: this is a very small one - about 5mm long.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHdF07QTUk-0hPla30dUDlgBtSNR1DId-vp80gZm20hmx2I_bY_rtAwW4fj-LOTjDdQuOj8mO_Vt9FFlYdPehwm-X2kiSJBAt0YpLYgM_zXwdQCCaoDNb7_jyD0AUQTYfTY9-_TFtCnc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHdF07QTUk-0hPla30dUDlgBtSNR1DId-vp80gZm20hmx2I_bY_rtAwW4fj-LOTjDdQuOj8mO_Vt9FFlYdPehwm-X2kiSJBAt0YpLYgM_zXwdQCCaoDNb7_jyD0AUQTYfTY9-_TFtCnc/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's one a bit older - the gills are obvious, and in contradistinction to frog tadpoles, the forelimbs develop first. The hindlimb buds are seen as bulges further down the body.</div>
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Combining the dark-field illumination with a little fill light from above brings out more detail.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHST1npZEPXrEb0PpBNSfxcGqq2tPa3MefA9q3jYXfJSEYVTuDtvoeC3R7a1EYhiwCmwvbSzbtlDAHPrg4_RbgEJdaEP0cQOJnpKiOnMRbp-21rgGJmkiNzq9X_gnHoo6XR2V_OJbMTs/s1600/newtpole+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHST1npZEPXrEb0PpBNSfxcGqq2tPa3MefA9q3jYXfJSEYVTuDtvoeC3R7a1EYhiwCmwvbSzbtlDAHPrg4_RbgEJdaEP0cQOJnpKiOnMRbp-21rgGJmkiNzq9X_gnHoo6XR2V_OJbMTs/s400/newtpole+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Crustacean sp. I've no idea what these tiny shrimps are called. The larger one is about 7mm long. I'll have to buy a book!</div>
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Water Beetle (possibly Family Dytiscidae). Solid subjects give a rim effect.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywmH0HtfbaOzFFyP0s3y5kXT84Nqinn1pTRh43o0G686Nq_enHE6opZMkrQvLaLpo7yNPvAnZoypCdZUiYhuHYIvF82ThGSnPNQxOdBlDLCcB29MPoREBJg7LBgwFSUC6mzcBt_Bd2vk/s1600/Water+beetle+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywmH0HtfbaOzFFyP0s3y5kXT84Nqinn1pTRh43o0G686Nq_enHE6opZMkrQvLaLpo7yNPvAnZoypCdZUiYhuHYIvF82ThGSnPNQxOdBlDLCcB29MPoREBJg7LBgwFSUC6mzcBt_Bd2vk/s400/Water+beetle+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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But with a little fill light from above, become more life-like, but it shows the dirt more. I like to think of this as the "Starship Coleoptera".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Q8-IiFdVeLsR7-P0Fza8-nZ3LOYEKMf5KrhyI19FBv_jFrS8Wo7FddsW8vKfeQY26L_kdm_xBQ1jTJw1J0TDnCs5CeO9bUwUaPB_OztRkAQYghqTTsd7_lRNBrmrRGHxfAMpynqYUlo/s1600/Water+beetle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Q8-IiFdVeLsR7-P0Fza8-nZ3LOYEKMf5KrhyI19FBv_jFrS8Wo7FddsW8vKfeQY26L_kdm_xBQ1jTJw1J0TDnCs5CeO9bUwUaPB_OztRkAQYghqTTsd7_lRNBrmrRGHxfAMpynqYUlo/s400/Water+beetle+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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All the images were taken with a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 7D, 50mm F2.5 macro lens with 25mm extension tube</span> linked to an old<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"> Sunpack ring flash</span> that's been cluttering up my cupboard for years. Even if you get accused of hoarding, never throw anything away!</div>
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None of the animals were harmed by this activity, and went straight back in the pond.</div>
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-71343699802021823312012-07-23T01:58:00.000-07:002012-07-23T01:58:30.971-07:00RINGINGI'm not a ringer, but have the greatest admiration for those who are, and try to see what they are up to when time allows. If you've read any of Gilbert White's "Natural History of Selbourne", you'll know that in the late 1700's, it wasn't known whether birds left our shores for winter, or actually hibernated here in cracks and crevices. The matter was only truly resolved when we started ringing, and the contribution to our understanding of bird ecology by ringers has been massive, especially in relation to mapping migration routes and preserving habitat. With climate change, it's just as important today, but as satellite tags get smaller and lighter, it may become less so in future. Two late night sessions recently have produced results.<br />
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Petrel ringing involves enduring a cacophony of a tape-recording of the bird's breeding colony, projected through a loudspeaker out to sea, to attract birds feeding offshore into a mist net. It's a technique of hit and miss with low returns - one or two birds in a three hour overnight session is a good catch, but it allows close inspection of these delicate little seabirds. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) </span>is the commonest catch, but an occasional <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Leach's Petrel (Oceanodroma leucrrhoa)</span> turns up in the net. One always lives in hope of something rarer.<br />
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Storm Petrel.<br />
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This image was taken with a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 7D with 24-105mm F4 zoom, and built-in flash</span>. It's always a bit hit and miss in the dark - the bill isn't sharp.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) </span>ringing in Langdale Forest isn't too dissimilar - nets set at dusk and a tape of the birds churring, and a patient wait fending off the dreaded midges. Again, a single bird may represent a successful night, but at least the vigil isn't as long, usually being over by midnight. Inspection of the bird in hand reveals it's superb cryptic plumage, and a small "comb" on it's middle toe, which is used to clean insect debris from the ictal bristles round the base of the bill. </div>
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The bird is a second year male, as it only has two white spots on it's primary wing feathers. The images were taken as for the Stormy above.</div>
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-76655481943125232912012-06-21T04:39:00.001-07:002012-06-21T04:39:54.864-07:00PILGRIMAGEMade my annual pilgrimage to Bempton a couple of days ago, when the sun was actually shining (on and off). I thought breeding might be delayed because of the bad weather, but many of the auk chicks had already baled out of the nest, so there weren't too many adults flying about, which, in combination of my ever deteriorating reflexes, meant no successful flight shots. I usually go in the afternoon so the sun is behind me, which is good for flight, but no good for the cliffs themselves. Hazy sun in the morning is best for birds on the cliffs, but contrast can still be a problem. It's a good place to practise flight photography, though.<br />
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Some chicks were still in the nest on the one bit of the cliff that remains sunny in the early afternoon.<br />
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Here are a couple of flight shots from last year. It's interesting to note that several <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">Guillemots (Uria aalge) </span></span>have holes in the webs of their feet - some with signs of fresh blood. I wonder if pecking your neighbour's feet is a means of keeping a respectable distance apart on the ledge.</div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlas3BmRghqWL0RFE5iAmrC3JGZaPIbuWscfCozONLHvkaHu3M7xAGH8r9tmyZMHnz_GacsY3GzgvAKF1racl_wopdnMMjPU0XSY1HBg1rYj6gHWfsYp9YRT2wRTcNLQA6CTNoT3A7Es/s1600/Guillemot+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlas3BmRghqWL0RFE5iAmrC3JGZaPIbuWscfCozONLHvkaHu3M7xAGH8r9tmyZMHnz_GacsY3GzgvAKF1racl_wopdnMMjPU0XSY1HBg1rYj6gHWfsYp9YRT2wRTcNLQA6CTNoT3A7Es/s640/Guillemot+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When I first visited Bempton as a teenager, there were 6 pairs of Gannets. Now look at 'em..............!</div>
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<br /></div>Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-12859252184619162582012-06-16T08:52:00.000-07:002012-06-16T08:52:13.459-07:00REFLECTIONSWeather still very variable, so an opportunity to do a bit of file sorting and cataloguing. I came across an image of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)</span> taken at Gruissan in the south of France (the French call it Gravelot a collier interrompu - typical!). It shows a nice reflection in the clear, clean, still water. Positioning the junction of legs and water somewhere near the middle of the picture balances the reflection and bird nicely creating a more or less symmetrical arrangement. You do need good light and still water for this type of reflection. The other type of reflection involves light from other objects reflecting colours off the water and occurs typically in harbours and marinas where coloured walls and boats are behind the bird. They can have some quite striking effects, and shouldn't be ignored. The water doesn't need to be flat calm for this effect, with ripples causing some interesting effects.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus):</span> Gruissan, France. If only the North Sea was this blue!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PEEtAFG5I6N4UhUv3NooZ0rd9SHqXc8CIPHd5B4MUCNujDxYNUhWu_nuYbcNC7IawsG-_fKYkkSnAYNCTdPYfnjH-7X880LgU8lhezGF-UtyYd8g0RRgSJv00oTZpIFOoI7W4VHmI6I/s1600/Kentish+Plover+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PEEtAFG5I6N4UhUv3NooZ0rd9SHqXc8CIPHd5B4MUCNujDxYNUhWu_nuYbcNC7IawsG-_fKYkkSnAYNCTdPYfnjH-7X880LgU8lhezGF-UtyYd8g0RRgSJv00oTZpIFOoI7W4VHmI6I/s640/Kentish+Plover+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo):</span> Scarborough Harbour. The brown reflection compliments the brown centres of the feathers.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Coot (Fulica atra):</span> Scarborough Harbour. The yellow reflection brightens up the otherwise rather uninteresting bird.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Coot (Fulica atra):</span> Scarborough Harbour. Or you can use the reflection from the blue sky (if there is one!).</div>
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All images taken with a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 1D Mk111 and 500mm F4 lens</span>.</div>
<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-37361991686485987642012-06-16T08:20:00.000-07:002012-06-16T08:20:14.420-07:00UNMISSABLEThe weather has been atrocious lately, and as it's breeding season, birds are struggling, so I generally leave them alone to get on with it without being "harassed" by a big lens. It's time to earn some "Brownie Points" on jobs such as re-tiling the front porch, painting the garden furniture and pressure-washing the patio. But there are some things you just can't ignore, like the stunning <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">European Roller (Coracias garrulus)</span> that turned up recently just south of Cowden (only a stones throw away from the famed <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Blue-cheeked Bee-eater {Merops supercilliosus}</span> site). As I was invited to survey the local bombing range (no public access!), it was too good an opportunity to miss. The bird was distant, feeding on a bare field, but eventually settled on a post about 100 yards away. I got some half decent photos. I guess others a little more persistent would have done better - but I'm not a "twitch photographer". The bird was buzzed by a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)</span>.<br />
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-9473668924014258172012-05-18T05:21:00.000-07:002012-05-18T05:21:23.241-07:00GERMANY.<br />
I've just got back from a few days in north-west Germany visiting my daughter. I had the opportunity to do a bit of birding. I find it a bit difficult where she lives in the Ruhr because it's so industrialised, but there are a few sites. Further east, in the catchment area of the river Ruhr, it's flat and featureless, mostly agricultural, with few hedges and large open fields. There are a lot of patches of mature deciduous woodland, mainly very tall oak, which are good for the traditional woodpeckers, warblers, tits and Nuthatch, as well as raptors, which are commoner than in the UK. Although the Germans are conservation minded, reserves seem to be few. A lot of the woodlands seem to be protected and one sees signs "Naturshutzgebeit" which roughly means national park.<br />
I had a look on the web and found a good site just north of Munster, called Riesenfelder, which translates as "paddy-field". Rice was never grown there - it is, in fact, a huge old disused sewage farm covering 640 hectares. It was divided into settlement beds of one hectare, and these were regularly scraped off and the fertiliser spread on the local farmland. It's now been converted to a huge wetland reserve, with various sized ponds, extensive reed-beds, emergent vegetation and a network of paths and hides. The area attracts the usual wetland species but there are a few nice ones, such as Penduline Tit, Bluethroat and Great Reed Warbler (none of which I saw). It's also good for north-south migrants, and there is a specific wader pool. The birds are quite distant, so it's a 'scope job, and not so good for photography. The best place for that is up the tower hide for flight shots.<br />
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This is the wader pool. There were 14 Greenshank and a Little Ringed Plover on it.<br />
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Common Swift from the tower hide. There were probably over 1,000 over the reserve.<br />
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It all depends on the light. Some over-enthusiastic birders might like to call this a Pallid Swift, but that doesn't occur there. It's a Common swift.<br />
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A couple of pairs of Ruddy Shelduck are present, but I suspect are a feral population, as you have to be much further east for the real ones!<br />
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Another small reserve lies on the River Ahse, a tributary of the River Lippe, east of Hamm, near the village of Oestinghausen. This is an area of water meadow managed for wetland breeding birds such as Curlew, Lapwing and Snipe. It's only about 50 hectares, but can be great. A few pools are scattered about, good for Garganey, and raptors are quite common. On the day I was there I had Common Buzzard, Black and Red Kite, Goshawk and Kestrel, and a possible distant Hobby. There is an excellent tower hide, great for flight photography, and a new 360 degree hide overlooking a wader pool. The build quality is reminiscent of a brick outhouse - the Germans don't do things by half! I have seen breeding Red-backed Shrike on the reserve in the past, but not this time. The best bird was Icterine Warbler, of which I found two singing males (apparently there are over 20 pairs on the reserve. One posed nicely for me from the tower.<br />
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Reed bed and pool.<br />
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360 degree hide (well, OK, it's 180).</div>
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View from.....</div>
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View from the tower.</div>
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Icterine Warbler. The dark upper mandible and prominent yellow patch between base of bill and eye, and the long primary projection help with identification, but the lead coloured legs clinch it.</div>
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Black Kite.<br />
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Common Buzzard. This is a very pale one, but it's not uncommon to see pure white ones.</div>
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Male Kestrel.</div>
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It was nice to catch up with Crane again after our two at Ruston Carr.</div>
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All bird photographs were taken with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 1D Mk IV and 100-400 zoom</span>. Scenic shots with a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon S90</span> compact.<br />
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It'll be good to re-visit these reserves later in spring, and in autumn if possible.Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-72801228173305693452012-05-04T04:09:00.000-07:002012-05-04T04:09:16.791-07:00EquipmentEQUIPMENT.<br />
As I intimated from the last post, things have moved on!<br />
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Main camera: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 1D Mk IV</span>: - much improved over the Mk III, which was a bit of a dog that lost Canon a lot of business to Nikon. The auto-focus problems were never solved with long lenses and many of my images were soft. Quality was great on straightforward stuff, but the Mk IV is a different beast altogether - awesome. The higher pixel count, low noise and high ISO range makes life much easier.<br />
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Back-up camera: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 7D</span>: - very convenient and easy to use - possibly the best combination for "walkabout" bird photography combined with the 100-400mm zoom. A bit on the noisy side, though.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon 500mm F4 IS USM</span>: - I've had this for ages, and it's getting a bit long in the tooth, and it gets heavier the older I get. Looking forward to the Mk II version, which is somewhat lighter! (but not on the pocket).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 IS USM Zoom</span> : - a surprisingly sharp lens, especially at 400mm. Good for flight photography.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon 24-105mm F4 IS Zoom</span>: - have just acquired this, so still evaluating it, but it focuses very close for plants, fungi etc.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon 17-40mm F4 Zoom</span>: - an excellent all purpose lens for landscapes, people etc.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon Mk III 2X and 1.4X Converters</span>: - both of these new converters are excellent, with imperceptible loss of quality. I use them a lot with the 500mm to really pull things in.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Sigma 150mm F2.8 APO MACRO DG HSM</span>: - very sharp and nice to use, but flimsy. Has been back to Sigma twice after falling apart.<br />
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I also have a selection of old lenses acquired from various sources over the years, which occasionally get an airing: Canon 24mm F2.8, Canon 50mm F2.5 and 100mm F2.8 macro, my old Dallmeyer telephoto, and a cupboard full of old Canon and Pentax film stuff which isn't worth a cent to sell, so I'll keep it.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Gitzo GT3541LS carbon fibre tripod</span> with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Gitzo GH5380SQR Systematic head</span> : - at last a rigid tripod I can manage to carry. The head is excellent - easy control with one hand and compact for air travel.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">iMac</span>: - the best purchase I ever made! Forget Microsoft woes. Stress free computing (well, almost).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Adobe Lightroom V4</span>: - I've just upgraded from V2, so no comments as yet. Virtually all my post processing is done with LR - it's easy to use, and the sharpening module is excellent. I import all my stuff into <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">iPhoto</span> on the iMac, and when I click the edit button it automatically opens LR. Makes workflow relatively easy, but I still need lessons on file management! I don't possess Photoshop CS. I occasionally use <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Apple Aperture</span>, which came with the iMac - it's almost as good as LR.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Epson PHOTO R2880 inkjet printer</span>: - for the rare occasions that I print. The driver for iMac isn't that great, though.<br />
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Setting up the cameras for bird photography can mean a lot of trial and error to get all the various parameters and custom functions to do what you want. If you can't be bothered to struggle with this, I suggest you visit <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Arthur Morris's "Birds as Art" website</span> (www.birdsasart.com) and fork out $20 for his set up guides for the 1D Mk IV or the 7D. It'll be e-mailed to you, and you can set the camera up straight from the box and get out there shooting. A.M.'s website is my favourite, and his blog is a mine of information for all bird photographers.Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-39301823826432570592012-05-03T05:00:00.000-07:002012-05-03T05:00:40.663-07:00YOU DON'T KNOW HOW LUCKY..........<br />
I was a teenager when I first got into bird photography, as a means of recording what I'd seen, but then it almost became an end in itself. The first camera was a Petri Flex5 SLR, with a Hanimex 400mm F6.3 lens. I don't think I bought the standard lens for it 'til later. The telephoto had a pre-set diaphragm, so you had to decide on the aperture before the shot, but anything above F8 and the image was too dark for the manual focussing. There was no in-camera exposure meter, so you had to rely on a hand held one, which didn't always tally with what the lens was looking at. Usually, by the time you had sorted out exposure, focus and framing, the bird was long gone. Eventually the lens diaphragm collapsed, so it became junk. I upgraded to the "in" camera at the time, a Pentax Spotmatic, which had built-in through the lens metering, and a Dallmeyer Adon 14 inch F4.5 lens (equivalent to about 350mm) - a British product, believe it or not. It was robust and sharp, reasonably priced (I couldn't afford the equivalent Kilfitt model!) and I still have it. I eventually progressed to the Canon A system, and onward to the EOS cameras, the digital derivatives of which I use now.<br />
The films of the day were still dominated by black and white negative stock, which I developed myself. Judging by the amount of dirt on the negatives, I must have used water straight from the nearest ditch. Colour print film in the 1960's was dire to say the least. Slide films were limited by their speed. Kodachrome 25 was best for colour, but too slow (at ISO 25) for birds. Kodak High Speed Ektachrome at ISO 160 was reasonable, but colour saturation wasn't great, and it had very poor exposure latitude of about half a stop. There was an American brand called Ansco, at ISO 200, but was virtually devoid of colour and had grain the size of golf-balls. Eventually, decent high speed colour slide stock came along with Fuji.<br />
My first ever photographic outing was to Filey Brigg, where, unbelievably, there was a Grey Phalarope, of which I got some pictures - a bit "dot in the distance", but I was hooked.<br />
Here are one or two B&W golden oldies - heavily digitally manipulated from scanned negatives! They were all taken around the late '60's, early '70's.<br />
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Guillemot, Bempton. This was a Dallmeyer shot.<br />
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Flight photography was very hit and miss. You pre-focussed at a distance that would give a good image size, and then tracked a bird in the hope that it would fly into focus - then you relied on your reflexes to get a sharp shot before it flew out of focus. You wasted a lot of film!<br />
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Kittiwake, Filey Brigg. A Hanimex shot.<br />
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Red-backed Shrike. Filey CP. Another Dallmeyer picture.<br />
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Red-breasted Merganser, Scarborough Harbour. Dallmeyer lens.<br />
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Most birds needed to be tame, or you needed a hide to get close.<br />
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All of the above nauseating nostalgia serves to demonstrate how technology has moved on, with today's digital, auto-focus, auto-exposure, image stablised, high ISO gear making it easy for anyone who can press a button to get acceptable bird pictures.<br />
<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-70620395793620053492012-04-25T06:02:00.000-07:002012-04-25T06:02:03.833-07:00BACKGROUNDSThe nature of the background can profoundly influence the impact and mood of a photograph, but with birds it's often difficult to pick and choose. However, with an obliging subject, like the Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) below, it is sometimes possible to influence the outcome. The bird was at the same site as the Dipper in the previous post, just over the road, perched in a birch tree, preening, no doubt whilst its mate was sitting on eggs. The first image was taken against the distant background of trees on the riverbank, some in early leaf, giving a rather dull background. I noticed that by moving a few yards to the right, I could bring the blossoming gorse bushes into view to give a more colourful and interesting background, transforming the image to one of colour rather than almost monochrome. One has to be a little careful with exposure with the brighter background possibly underexposing the bird, but I find centre-weighted exposure readings sometimes better in this situation. Incidentally, the bird still shows some brown in the flight feathers, and an incomplete black mantle indicating a first summer male.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 1D MkIV, 500mm USM F4L IS lens, 2X Mk III converter, Gitzo tripod</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">1/250 sec. @ F8, ISO 800.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: yellow;">As above, 1/800 sec. @ F8, ISO 800.</span></div>
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It's a similar situation with the Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus). I know these birds are common as muck, but plumage-wise, they are a smart bird, as are many of the world's pigeons. Here, one image has a similar colour background to the bird, and the other a contrasting one. Both work for me. The bird was attracted to a feeding station and was oblivious to my presence in the car, even when I moved it a few yards to get the different background.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Canon EOS 1D Mk III, 500mm USM F4L IS lens, car, beanbag</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">1/350 sec. @ F5.6, ISO 800. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">As above, 1/1000 sec. @ F5.6, ISO 800.</span></div>
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I suppose the message is - "Look beyond the bird".</div>
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<br />Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-60051527496656121462012-04-24T04:31:00.001-07:002012-04-24T04:31:41.002-07:00A pair of Dippers nest locally every year under a bridge on the River Derwent. They are back on territory from their wintering site now. I've tried to photograph them on numerous occasions in the past, without much success, but recent heavy rain has caused the river to rise, covering their usual mid-stream perches. This one was oblivious to my approach, and was quite happy to pose. The name comes from their bobbing action, and has nothing to do with their underwater feeding habit. It's always accompanied by blinking of their white upper eyelid, but blinking isn't necessarily accompanied by bobbing. Blinking is a message signal which increases in frequency when the bird is excited or disturbed. The delicate upper eyelid has a fine brown eyelash to border it. A membrane covers the nostrils whilst under water.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">These images were taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mk IV DSLR with a 500mm Canon lens with a 2X Mk III converter, on a Gitzo 3 series tripod and Systematic head. Exposure details: 1/250sec @ F8, ISO 800. Processed with Adobe Lightroom.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><br /></span>Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2457416867731892672.post-13214641840440795032012-04-24T03:31:00.000-07:002012-04-24T03:31:38.737-07:00Welcome.I started bird photography back in the 1960's, inspired by the late Eric Hosking, as an adjunct to my passion for birding. Since then I've amassed several thousand images taken in the UK and abroad. Many are on slide film, but I went digital when Canon brought out the EOS 10D. It seems a shame that most of the images will never be seen by anyone but me (the odd lecture aside), so this blog is about displaying some old and new stuff, and to invite constructive comments from anyone who cares to view it. In that way, perhaps I will improve my technique - it's never too late to learn. I don't have a website, as I'm not really interested in selling images, and every Tom, Dick and Harry has one so they are a bit hackneyed now.<br />
Posts to this blog will be intermittent, and only when I have something to show, so there might be a few long gaps. Nevertheless, I hope you find it interesting.Ian Glaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068086932715764451noreply@blogger.com0