Pensthorpe Ducks

The light was very clear on Monday so the Teal, Shoveller, Golden Eye, Tufted and Widgeon ducks looked extra smart.

Lens Workout at Pensthorpe Natural Park

No better place than the Wader Aviary at Pensthorpe to practise bird photography with the Fuji 100-400mm. The lighting was rather variable but generally pleased with the results. For Paul and Dinah, in particular, this is on manual focus with AE-L set to single or continuous focus (jury still out on this one) and highlight peaking on. So I use the AE-L button to focus and then, if time, touch the focus ring which enlarges the image with highlight peaking on to adjust point of focus. With the Bearded Tits relied just on the AE-L focusing and was pretty successful though the mirrorless system makes picking up moving bird difficult (?impossible?). The Ruffs are in full breeding plumage as are the Black-tailed Godwits. The Bearded Tits are always a challenge and great to photograph two endangered species Corncrake and Turtle Dove. Avocets as always a delight.

Bearded Tits etc at Pensthorpe

We visited Pensthorpe on our way back on Thursday and I spent a long while enjoying the antics of the Bearded Tits. They were busy courting, displaying, collecting nest material etc. The plumages of the male Teal and Ruffs were pristine while the Avocets were busy incubating eggs and changing duty every half hour or so.

Superb Light at Pensthorpe

Lots to photograph at Pensthorpe today including Bearded Tit with its lunch and Reed Warbler. The colours on the Ruff and Mandarin Drake were amazingly vibrant in the late afternoon sun.

Sunny Day at Pensthorpe

A few images taken with that super lens of Bryan on a sunny Thursday at Pensthorpe. The depth of field on the Black-headed Gull is fairly shallow but I think it works for me with the eye, beak, legs and edge of tail in focus. The Bearded Tit had very unusal facial markings. The Smew had just surfaced from a dive - love the water shute on its tail. The final image is my favourite as I was delighted to see Bramblings at the bird feeders so even more delighted to get this action shot.

Pensthorpe in the Rain

I had Pensthorpe completely to myself in the morning as it was raining and very chilly. The rain eased off over lunch so a few souls braved the reserve but by 3 pm heavy rain set in. I managed the iconic Bearded tit picture. The Lapwings show beautiful colours in dull light while the Long-tailed tit looked a bit bedraggled. The Falcated (?) Teal reveals the quality of Bryan's lens and it also makes flying bird photography possible in the low woodland light.

Other Images from Pensthorpe

Great to see a hare fairly close from the woodland hide. The holly in the background is a bit distracting but he didn't want to pose anywhere else. The Lapwing and Redshank were having a constant fight for territory.