May 9 2013

178/365 Hovering Stonechat


I’ve just returned from an interesting trip to the centre of Hungary co-leading a group over there. Setting up a hide for a Marsh Harrier we noticed that there was a pair of Stonechat feeding young within 15m of the hide. It was great to watch both the male and female Stonechats flying in with all manner of food including this Silver Y moth. Hovering before plunging into the grass to feed the young, it certainly put my camera techniques to the test trying to lock on to these fast moving birds.

Stonechat, Saxicola torquata, Hungary, May, 2013.
Canon 5D3 with Canon 500mm f/4 L IS with 1.4x III converter. 1/1600sec @ f/5.6 at ISO1600.

180/365 Stonechat

Mar 25 2013

177/365 Brambling


Another image taken from the low level perspective.  This shooting angle was quite difficult as there was a lot of grass to contend with that was playing games with the autofocus! Quite difficult to not get a blade of grass in front of the birds as well.  Patience and picking your moment springs to mind! This male was feeding to with two goldfinches.

Brambling, Fringilla montifringilla, Herefordshire, March, 2013.
Canon 5D Mk 3 and Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens

177/365 Brambling

Mar 25 2013

177/365 Siskin


I’m editing images from the last session in the Brambling garden.  No matter what you do some photographs just don’t go to plan. Regardless of where I placed perches next to feeders I just couldn’t get these Siskins to land on them.  I had to get what I could so photographed them from a low level viewpoint as they fed on spilt seed from the feeders on the ground.  Still a nice perspective and a few new images added to the database of this attractive little species.

Siskin, Carduelis spinus.
Canon 5D3 with Canon 500mm f/4L lens and Canon 1.4x III converter

176/365 Siskin