Spring time Curlew

 

The curlew is one of the u.k's 4 wetland birds flagged as being at most risk. Thankfully in my area (the south coast) they are making a massive comeback, not that this is based on hard evidence, purely the fact I see several every trip whereas I used to be lucky to glimpse one. This is the first bird I every photographed, and at the time I had no idea what the bird was or how to use my camera in that fact. It was nice to get a photo I am happy with today after about 3 years of trying and practice.

 

 

f/5.6

1/2000

ISO-1000

400mm

Finally ! A kingfisher !

Having spotted the kingfisher on a few early morning outings i was aware that one was around. So yesterday afternoon as i was rather excitedly trying (and failing) to get a good photograph of the notoriously hard to spot Snipe, i heard their unmistakable call. So, i positioned myself where i could see several posts (possible perches for fishing) and waited. After about an hour i saw a flash of blue, and was able to see this little guy for about 30 seconds. Then he was gone. I would say is worth it, i have never seen such intense colour on any animal.

f/8

1/2000

ISO - 800

500mm

Black tailed Godwit

Another photo from my time at pagham yesterday. Things like this can often surprise you. Pagham has godwits such as this one all over the reserve, all in places that are hard to reach and get close enough to take a photo. However on my way home after three hours in what i thought was a good spot i saw this little guy relatively close and was able to get this photo.

f/8

1/500
IS0 - 320

500mm

Lapwing

Having just returned from Scotland one of the highlights was the sheer abundance of one of my favorite birds, lapwings :). This was a wild bird that seemed to enjoy the lack of people getting out of the car in the highland wildlife park in the Bison enclosure :)

f/8

1/1600

ISO- 3200

340mm

Egret

Spent a morning walking around Itchen valley country park, it was fairly unsuccessful for photography but it was a nice walk. I am pretty sure i had a water vole within a meter of me (although it could have been a rat) and i had lapwings, swallows and swifts all flying very close over my head. I was about to give up when an egret landed close enough for me to get a photo of it and this was the end result :).

f/8

1/1250

ISO-1000

500mm