Happy New Year

Just like to wish all my friends, contacts, fellow tortoise riders, and arch enemies a fantastic new year, with lots of great wildlife encounters. We have had a few nice sunny, and quite still days over the holiday, but today its all change, and as i look glumly out of the window, i'm willing on tomorrow, which looks a lot better. Great to see the Bearded Reedlings (Tits) showing so well around the concrete bridge area, and along the path to the Roundel at Radipole. Below are a male and female, with the male in that familiar two stem grab, and the female feasting.

Also in the same general area were lots of mainly female Reed Buntings noshing on the seed heads.

On one of the more drafty days, i togged this male Shoveler, bouncing on the swell at the Roundel.

So,, with the Beards now pretty much covered, perhaps i can turn my efforts to something different. I'm dying to get some thrushes, Redwings and Song Thrushes in particular. Itching to get closer to the Marsh Harriers,,, and the hundreds of Golden Plover in the Maiden Castle area. I was gobsmacked to learn that several Jack Snipe, and a Green Sandpiper were sighted at Steepleton Pond which is only just down the road from me. So its your favourite tortoise jockey signing off for now,,, goodluck to you all.

Plants, Seeds, and Birds

To understand how the mind of a bird works, you have to understand what sustains it,,,, that is to say what it feeds on. If a bird feeds on seeds, then you must understand plants, and the seasons to be there when the bird is.
    Plants generally come up in the Spring, flower in the Summer, and seed in the Autumn. and it takes a while for all these seeds to ripen and fall. Now they are ripe, and full of the nutrient oils that sustain all the seed eating birds. So is it surprising that as we speak Bearded Reedlings and all manner of Finches, Buntings, and allies are hungry and showing very well.

This is why i feed the birds. Many of the shots in my Flickr stream have been taken in my garden during the autumn and winter when seed eating birds are seeking their food.
I'm missing some shots of certain thrushes, and now is the time,,,, before their seasonal glut of berries is gone. Wish me luck!

A Chiffy or two, and the Golden Radipole Reeds

Had a brilliant couple of hours with Mark and Den yesterday. We all met up over at Portland Castle hoping for some 'close in' seabirds, but no luck there. Strange how when the light is perfect, the subjects in the harbour are way out of range,,, but that's the game eh? Before Mark arrived me and Den had an encounter with several Chiffchaffs in the dwarf pines by the castle.

Mark's R.A.D.A.R must have been finely tuned on the day, because it picked up signals that Bearded Reedlings were showing well at Radipole, and off we all trotted. The Radipole reed beds were alive with avian activity, with quite a few species stuffing their faces with the reed seeds. If you want to see or photograph the Bearded Reedlings at Radipole your ears are your best chance, because you will most probably hear them before you see them. Their sweet pinging notes are distinctive when you have heard them a few times.
     OK,,, you strike lucky, and a small flock appears nearby,,, you now face the challenge of getting a half decent shot. Now,,, those beautiful sunlit reeds become a problem, because focusing is difficult.
I used to find this very frustrating, but 'back button focusing' makes this a lot easier. It enables you to use manual focus when the autofocus is failing, without the half pressed shutter button thwarting your efforts and re-focusing when you press to take the picture. In situations such as this you can use both constantly, as you hunt for focus on the subject. It was my friend Chris Rowland who first pointed out the advantages of BBF to me, and now after some initial scepticism it has become my natural reaction. The picture below could not have been taken without BBF. Its also the only shot of a female i captured on the day.

After this, and in the same spot a pair of Reed Buntings appeared, but it was just the female that put on a show, be it rather a distant one for her small size.

All in all,, a great few hours. Thanks to my companions for putting up with me, and make the most of your encounters, they are few, and far between.

Encounters

Encounters with birds, or any wildlife can last hours, minutes, or just moments. Of course being a togger i like to catch these encounters 'in camera', for many reasons. Me and many of my friends spend hours in waiting, and hours in walking (ahem!), searching for that encounter that will make our day. These following shots of 'encounters' are some that have made my day recently.

And still lolling about in Portland Harbour:

And on the edge of Portland Harbour

Mostly minutes and moments. Thanks for looking.

Shorted Out

A bright winters afternoon on the Dorset Downs yesterday. A cutting wind, and a few masochists standing along a roadside verge,,, just waiting. Then,,,, an hour before sundown, we were all rewarded with a spectacular Short-eared Owl performance. Four,,, maybe five of these beauties put on a hunting show that lasted into the gloaming and beyond. The best i've yet witnessed.
    The photography was as usual difficult,,, even when the light was good. You might say all i really got were 'record shots', but it was still a special experience. One of those bird encounters you sometimes get where the photography came second.

Bloopers

If i don't strive to keep up my standards,,, then who will?  Brought down to earth again by Radar i see,,, (comments on last entry) he is right tho',,, and i do get very self critical,,, and after a few cans of 'false' courage i might even be quite critical of my mates. Although,,, lately i'm biting my tongue,, a lot,,, LOL!
    Recently took my first ever trip to Wyke Down. The SEOs are supposed to come quite close at times. I went in the morning,,, got there at dawn,,, not a sign... Stayed for about 3 hrs. Went back to the otters at Blandford,,, saw one,,, rubbish shots.
    Some shots from Saturday,,, i will maybe try a late afternoon one day, when i'm feeling masochistic.
Mistle Thrush on the wire at Wyke down.

 This Tree Cormorant provided me and Den with a bit of consolation near the weir.

And some more, closer shoreline shots from last week,,,,
Rock Pipit

 Meadow Pipit

 Great Northern Diver

Not the best week i've ever had, and apologise to Den and Chris for my early departure on Saturday. Of course it had a bit to do with alcohol, and Man.U. playing, but it was mostly my hips, and knees. The wonderboys of Whitehall when they're wacking up the retiring age, don't seem to 'figure in' people that have done a lot of manual labour in their working lives, and are clapped out in their mid fifties.

   

Every Picture Tells a Story.

Well,,, in my case every picture tells a story of gross incompetence, and this has been highlighted in the last couple of weeks by my abysmal shots of birds. I've been forgetting the lessons that i learned long ago, and my togging has shown it. Lessons like,,,, 'the sun should be at your back', especially in winter.  My first howler is this shot of a Meadow Pipit. Bad idea to take shots of birds to the east, in the morning, or at noon. This is the result,,,, dark on one side, and blown on the other. I know you can pull shots like this out in Photoshop, but it always has grain and moire consequences. In short,,, you gotta get it right 'in camera'.

My next mistake is one i fall for again, and again,,, and that is,,, 'subject too small in the frame'. In other words ,,, i'm not close enough to the subject. I don't care what lens you have,,,  getting close is all important. A lot of toggers i know seem to think that a long lens lets you off of getting closer,,, not the case. No lens can beat getting closer. I was too far away from this Redstart on Portland at the weekend.

Turnstones are seemingly easy subjects for the wildlife togger,they are so fearless and trusting birds, and look great in bright sunlight. This said,,, my shots of them in the dark weed around Portland harbour were flawed. The bright sun, and the dark weed conspired against me to make my shots look like 'flash' photography. Note the dark borders around the bird.

On the same day here were a lot of Rock Pipits on the beach, and i always struggle to get nice shots of these. However on this occasion i did manage fairly well. Note the differences between 'rocks' and 'meadows' .

Of course i was glad to have made fewer mistakes when recently encountering a Great Northern Diver in Portland Harbour, but that's not to say i was completely satisfied with my efforts.

Thanks for looking at my BLOG, and i hope you make your fair share of togging mistakes as well. Whatever,,,, its a great hobby,,,,, don't you think?