www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Shirley,

We have lapwings galore here...

all shots taken with 30d and 100-400LIS all at 400mm. The lapwings are actually a 100% crop. Others are a mix. The barn owl sunset was virtually the full image.

For birds I really do wish I had a 500F4

For birds I really do wish I had a 500F4

Why not try a 4.5 -
http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/lenses/ ... /500mm.htm
It is half the price of a Canon F4, and has no IS, but is extraordinarily sharp.
Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts.
If you want, I can bring mine to the B.P.W. so you can have a play............
Roger

Thanks Denise, Dunlin, (Sanderling are quite grey)
Your right sorry about that .Sanderling pic with Turnstone thrown in I hope!
Shaun

Alas I can't make it to the BPW Roger as I have othjer commitments.

Now I own a telephoto with IS I don't think I'd ever consider one without now. The advantage is massive. I'd want to shoot hand held as much as possible. I don't think I've ever shot birds with a tripod. Also I'd want to use it with a 1.4xTC on (Which the 100-400 is too soft with).

I see prices of camera equipment are soaring - the canon 500F4 has gone up about a grand in the last month so don't think I'll be buying any for a while! Our currency must come good again one day I hope!

Pics from today,
The Dabchick was throwing the Bullhead around like the Orca and the seal scene.The other Grey/Pied Wagtail Gc Grebe.
Shaun

Great shpots of the little grebes. Taken from a hide or out in the open?

Thanks,
The pics were taken while walking along the side of Draycott Water, Ive got no tripod and the biggest lense I own is a 300mm so they were very close.
Shaun

Yes so I see. I checked out the data from one of your images after posting the question. 300mm on a 40D. Is that heavily cropped or were you really close? Having photographed them myself recently I know they don't fill much of the frame with 400mm unless you're really close.

Denise, I've just seen on the first thread of the birds your Spoonbill which you have taken with your scope, I think its very good also the Wheatear, I don't think I've seen a better photo of a Wheatear. Bring out some more
Regards Shirley

I'll PM you some Shirley, and thanks for the compliment.

Denise

Yesterday I received a Lumix tele conversion lens 1.7x for my Panasonic and it rained all day. To-day I took these photo and liked the lens very much. The tripod was a bit tricky its legs kept catching in things. Does anyone know anything about rings on birds legs, the greenfinch on the top has a grey ring on its leg, it would be very interesting to know where it had come from., the bird I mean.

Wow. What a difference that extra reach has made. Well done Shirley!
As for rings, you'd need to get the letters and numbers on them and pass them onto the RSPB or local area recorders, a difficult task with a small garden bird.

As for me, I had an interesting afternoon....

Hmm, that's an odd looking bird, like a finch but a bit big, innit?
Focussed camera way up in the trees in awful light.
Bugger me, it's a hawfinch. Don't panic.
Fired off two shots, first underexposed, second blurred to hell, reset iso to 800 and try again.
I got two shots in branches with poor light from the F8 mirror lens before it flew off. Thank goodness for autofocus on the mirror lens and steady shot in the camera.
They're not brilliant but I got acceptable record shots of a first tick for me, and it made me realise that even if the light is bad, it's never so bad as when you leave the camera at home.

I like your Hawfinch Eccles, camera shake is a bit of a sod, the tighter you hold the camera the more it shakes. The days are getting longer and it was a lovely day here, I can go and seek out that Curlew tomorrow, I don't really know where to look for a Hawfinch.
Shirley

There isn't really a place in the UK where you can see hawfinches as far as I'm aware. They're occasional winter migrants, I believe from Scandinavia, so the northeast of Scotland and England are probably the best places, which is why it was so special to see one in the west country as they are quite rare around here. Denise knows more than I do, but I think they will tend to hang around with a resident finch flock, so wherever you see lots of chaffinch, goldfinch etc. in the wintertime, look for hawfinch. Also, brambling, another elusive species for me.
Keep persevering with the Panasonic. Those shots are much, much improved with nice detail. I love the greenfinches.

Nice Hawfinch Eccles

Never seen one, so as you say, any shot is better than none at all. It just means you have something to aim to beat next time you see one

As for locations I know there are places not far from here that are regular winter haunts for them, though I am told the numbers are really low these days. perhaps 10 years ago 20-30 whereas now 3-4 is an amazing day.

I believe my neighbour gets them in his garden sometimes. Alas not me

Hawfinch is a nice find Eccles well done must be a good winter for them,They tend to stay in one area when feeding so worth another look.Hornbeam seeds favourite.Small flocks Brambling around here to
Shaun

eccles wrote:There isn't really a place in the UK where you can see hawfinches as far as I'm aware. They're occasional winter migrants, I believe from Scandinavia, so the northeast of Scotland and England are probably the best places, which is why it was so special to see one in the west country as they are quite rare around here.

Beautiful photos Eccles, one of my all time favourite birds. There are a couple of places in the New Forest where sightings of one or more Hawfinch are pretty much guaranteed, especially late afternoon as they gather to roost. I was there between Christmas and New Year when at least four individuals could be seen flitting between several high conifers.

Felix.

Yes our camera club made a trip to the New Forest in November and about half a dozen were seen then (not by me though). Didn't know if they were regularly seen there or not though...

A pheasant, sorry not exactly rare, but very handsome, not much of a birder.

Interesting house name spotted in the Woodford Valley near Salisbury today.

Great pheasant, better than I could get. I usually call them "Sucuide" birds as they are all over the place here and when a car comes down the road, they tend to run away from it (in front of the car) rather than realise they have wings. They then proceed to go through the fence and get stuck sometimes.

Intresting name for the cottage, yeah. Sort of reminds me of what people used to name places way back in the past.