When I visited Titchwell on the 4th I decided to replace the macro lens of my relatively new Nikon full-frame mirrorless camera with a brand new 100-400mm zoom lens, to check whether I would get better results photographing birds than those that I had been getting for the past 3+ years from my APS-C Nikon DSLR camera with 100-400mm zoom lens. The answer was a definite 'yes!' The birds look further away in the new combination (as expected for a full-frame camera), but heavier cropping reveals significantly more detail in the birds' feathers and a cleaner image. Further improvements could no doubt be reached by replacing the zoom lens with a very large fixed focal length lens (say 600mm F4), the only problems being a combination of an extra 2Kg of weight and an extra cost of around £12,000! Since I'm a bird watcher who just likes to take decent photos of birds every now and again, I'm very happy with the new (and, to be fair, the old) combination.
Titchwell provided me with plenty of good photographic material, particularly from inside the Island Hide, where several species of wader could be seen and glimpses of a Water Rail (my first sighting of the year) could be had. At one point a Hobby came by, causing most of the waders to fly up, before they later landed only a few feet in front of the hide - giving wonderful views for a minute or two. A Little Stint, in particular, was a very popular subject for the assembled photographers. A White-rumped Sandpiper was rather more elusive but did reveal itself later in the day, when I became marooned in the Island Hide in the middle of a thunderstorm. Elsewhere a Black-winged Stilt became the 19th wader species to be seen on the day, allowing for its rather dubious origins (apparently it was an 'escape').
My next expedition of any note was to Shelley, in Suffolk 'Constable Country', on the 12th. This turned into a rather embarrassing flop as my target bird, Purple Heron, eluded me. I found the 'flash' where it was reported to be lurking, but didn't look from the right place (a hole in a hedge, about 500M south of where I had been looking from). I should study the maps on 'Birdguides' more carefully! Still, it was a pleasant afternoon and a surprising number of species could be seen from my viewpoint.
I spent a week on holiday with my partner near Halifax from the 14th. Wildlife watching was very low on the agenda, with highlights limited to seeing a Kingfisher fly past along the River Aire in central Leeds and having a split-second view of a Dipper, again in flight, on the stream that ran past our delightful hotel.
The day after our return I visited Rye Harbour (East Sussex) by coach with my RSPB Local Group. Whilst central England (including Hertfordshire) was enjoying atrocious weather (120mm of rain over the weekend in Woburn), we were extremely lucky to spend the day walking round the reserve in dry and often sunny weather. Highlights included Spotted Redshank, a flyover Osprey, lots of Wheatears and a constant stream of Swallows, heading for Europe and thence Africa (an amazing 120,000 were recorded in the morning, nearby at RSPB Dungeness). A few of my images, taken on the trip, are shown below.
The appearance of a juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Houghton Regis, near Dunstable, encouraged me out of the house on an otherwise appallingly dull and wet week, on the 24th. This time I came armed with an exact knowledge of where the bird was showing, and was rewarded with good views as it moved around between bushes, close to a stream. A couple of Stonechats were also present here - I wonder whether they would be too large for the Shrike to catch.....
No comments:
Post a Comment