Matthew
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I have been watching the breeding cycle of a pair of Eurasian Blackbirds in my garden in the U.K. Their first attempt in early spring failed due to predation of both chicks, by who knows what. The male started singing from our rooftop again, and then a week or so ago I noticed that he was frantically collecting food and sitting on our back fence before darting off behind my garden office. Each time he saw me he would could call loudly protesting my presence. I managed to get a few photos on a beautiful sunny afternoon, but due to his agitation I did not follow up trying to find his nest, as I felt a great deal of empathy for this hard working chap. You can see the wear and tear on his feathers in the photo. I am pleased to report they have successfully fledged two chicks that were still around yesterday, and still being fed by the male. I have not yet managed to photograph the fledglings. This is a common resident species, but I have derived a great deal of pleasure witnessing their success in my garden and I hope that by holding back on trying to find their nest I have contributed to their eventual succes. -
My bird photography can be split into two areas. 1.) Most of it is done on specific birding trips to exotic (non-UK) locations were I am cramming as much birding into two weeks as I can, with the aim of seeing as many species as possible and getting the best photos of those I do see. So here there is often little opportunity to plan and set up ideal photographic situations, and I need to get what photos I can and use the conditions I am presented with as best I can. As my experience and camera kit have improved I have got better at this, but there is always room for improvement. 2.) Photographing birds around my home area in Somerset, U.K. where the numbers of species are fewer than in the exotic locations, but where I do have the time to plan, wait for right conditions etc. I need to get better at this. This is my immediate main goal, and I want to be able to regularly get good portrait and action (flight) shots of my local birds. I have a Canon 7D MKII camera body and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L ID II USM lens that I am very happy with. I also have a Canon 1.4X teleconverter, but I tend to only use this when light conditions are good. In time I may add a 500mm fixed length lens and I am debating whether a Canon 5D MKIV body with a larger sensor may help me in low light situations, as I have had some disappointing results with my current system in critical, usually late afternoon or early evening shots of rare/unusual bird species that I only see once on a trip. But, that could be operator rather than kit? Hopefully this course will teach me where I have gone wrong. I feel that I am not using camera support systems well enough although I do have a large and smaller tripod and a conventional Manfrotto head and a smaller ball head. The tripods are aluminium and the large one is heavy. I may (budget depending) look at acquiring a Gimbal head and a carbon-fibre tripod in the future. With regards blinds and clothing etc I am not a great enthusiast of Ghillie Suits or camouflage clothing, and I am not sure whether a popup blind would still be there the next day if I left it in my local wood. The nature reserves in our area would not be too enthusiastic about bird photographers leaving blinds around the reserves or going off the designated paths. They provide permanent hides (or blinds) that photographers use a lot, and this is what I use. I have learned some tips from the experienced locals who spend a lot of time in these hides. I also get to see some amazing camera kit from some of the "professionals". I don't think I have every seen any of these photographers in a Ghillie Suit?
I have been watching the breeding cycle of a pair of Eurasian Blackbirds in my garden in the U.K. Their first attempt in early spring failed due to predation of both chicks, by who knows what. The male started singing from our rooftop again, and then a week or so ago I noticed that he was frantically collecting food and sitting on our back fence before darting off behind my garden office. Each time he saw me he would could call loudly protesting my presence. I managed to get a few photos on a beautiful sunny afternoon, but due to his agitation I did not follow up trying to find his nest, as I felt a great deal of empathy for this hard working chap. You can see the wear and tear on his feathers in the photo. I am pleased to report they have successfully fledged two chicks that were still around yesterday, and still being fed by the male. I have not yet managed to photograph the fledglings. This is a common resident species, but I have derived a great deal of pleasure witnessing their success in my garden and I hope that by holding back on trying to find their nest I have contributed to their eventual succes. Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)