Saturday, November 14, 2009

Rain and Flu

My photos activities during the last couple of weeks have been curtailed by a bad dose of flu and some grim autumnal weather. Unfortunately the brief appearances of sunshine do not seem to coincide with my moments of free time. I have managed a few grabbed photos here and there but could do with a good productive session somewhere.

The following photos have been taken in my local area. The Wirral is a wonderful place to live for a bird photographer as there are so many different birds available to photograph. Winter is my favourite time at least when the weather is kind.

For those interested in camera bodies the following photos were taken with the Canon 7D.

When times are tough the local sea gulls always provide good practice for flight photography.
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Knot are obviously at their most spectacular in a large swirling flock but I think that the individual birds also have a certain appeal.
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There are plenty of Oystercatchers around at the moment but mainly on the fields digging up earthworms.
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The local model boating lake is full of Mute Swans, with this one taken as the sun had just disappeared at the end of the day.
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A Barn Owl hunting voles out on the local salt marshes
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To finish off this rather mixed post my local nemesis the Green Woodpecker. We don't have many of these birds locally and I have tried and failed on numerous occasions to photograph this particular bird but its extremely difficult to get anywhere close to it. This day I managed to catch it but still have not achieved what I am after with it. One day my perseverance will be rewarded!
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16 comments:

Silvia Pato said...

Your photos are amazing and my prefer is the "mute swan". Poetry in motion.

Pescalune said...

Wonderful pictures once more ! All of them are beautiful - but my little favourite is the owl :)

FAB said...

Flu and crap weather are not a good combination. Hope you are feeling better despite the forecasts Rich. Close shot of the Knot and the late evening Swan are spectacular. FAB

Kimberley Wakelin said...

Stunning photography. Your flight shots are amazing and that swan shot is gorgeous!

Kerri Farley said...

WOW! I am in awe of your talent! Fabulous photos!

boops said...

i simply fall out of my chair whenever i see your photos...i love how you captured the droplets of water on on the swan...i also photo swans and geese at our local pond but have trouble capturing the details in the swan's white feathering (always over exposed) and droplets on a goose's back (too much of a harsh reflection coming off the drops...probably due to the bright natural light during that time of day)...anyway...kudos.

Dominic Gendron said...

As always...great image serie! The mute swan images is just "WOW" :)

holdingmoments said...

Superp set Richard.
The second gull, and water drops, is an excellent capture. Puts my efforts of a few days ago to shame.
The lighting in the Swan shot is magical.
The 7D is performing excellently.

D-Wing said...

Love the photos. Any tips? http://d-wing.blogspot.com/

Linda Yarrow said...

Hi Richard, I have just found your blog and your pictures are brilliant.

Peregrine's Bird Blog said...

I like the Green Woodpecker Shot a bird that sadly isnt found in Ireland and also the Barn Owl which in Ireland almost exclusively hunt at night.

Anonymous said...

Hello Richard,
What else can I say than to repeat the others' words how wonderful your photos are! :-) The shot of the swan is just amazing, the details and the colours are very impressive. I find especially interesting the photo of the green woodpecker as it reminds me of my childhood when I used to hear about a bird with a red scullcap...

Anonymous said...

It was extremely interesting for me to read this article. Thank you for it. I like such themes and anything connected to this matter. I would like to read more soon.

FredM said...

Very impressive to have so many excellets shots with the awful weather we had the past week. The wirral is really a nice place, and I'm sure the short-eared owl will give you soon some very nice shots ;-)

Its Time to Live said...

So... I find your blog, look at your images and think "I should throw my equipment away and buy some good stuff"

Great images, great blog. Thanks

Rich Steel said...

Many thanks for the comments. The 7D is an excellent camera body for the money. A lot of rubbish has been written about it on the internet as there always is when any new camera body appears. Those that critise would do better to go out and actually use one in real life situations rather than sitting in the armchair photogrphing the wall and complaining.

Cheers

Rich

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