Dawn Chorus

This morning I took part in an event for International Dawn Chorus Weekend. I got to Paxton Pits by 5.30 am to listen to the dawn chorus there. The noise was incredible, especially the Nightingale. Paxton has many pairs of Nightingales despite the fact that the scrubland habitat that they require is being reduced by the Muntjac deer that graze among the trees. The bird on the right is a Garden Warbler - very similar to Nightingale except what comes out of the mouth!

A wonderful experience - watch this short video made from a recording taken at the time plus photos.

Press the play symbol under the box - features Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler and Nightingale - bit crude as first attempt at Photo to Movie

Grebes and Ducks

These Great Crested Grebes were a bit too distant for good photographs but could enjoy the antics of the three youngsters as they climbed on and off the parent.

The Mallards were less shy - loved this flotilla with the odd one out leading the way

Birds in the Blossom

Last time we visited Wicken Fen the Blackthorn was still in bud so I was keen to revisit before all the petals had blown off. There were not so many birds around this time but this Bluetit and Female Reed Bunting obligingly perched just right

Wicken Fen

Windy day today with sunny intervals and lots of scudding clouds so ideal for infrared photography. I had photographed Wicken Fen with infrared film a few years ago so I was keen to see digital infrared images of the Fen. I will do some prints sometime to compare with the darkroom prints but the monochrome conversions look to have as much contrast and sparkle.

A few more images from our Birds of Prey day.

The kestrels were very graceful both in flight and when taking off. This is a first year male so has not yet fully developed the grey head .

The Buzzard was less graceful but had a great presence and its long and powerful talons were very evident - we kept our distance.

Cambridge

Four images taken on a trip into Cambridge on a dull day. I have converted them all using the profile made for the Infrared camera. The bottom two have then been turned to monochrome. The images lack the sparkle of a sunny day but I quite like the subtle tones.

More Owls

Evening shot of the Tawny Owl taken with the fish-eye lens - he did eventually eat his mouse. Below an image of the owl taken with fill-in flash to balance the exposure of sky and subject. I set the exposure for the sky on the camera manual setting and then experimented with various power flashes.

Long-eared and Tawny Owl

We spent very enjoyable 7 hours photographing Birds of Prey in Bedfordshire yesterday. Here are a couple of the shots of owls taken as evening approached and the light was great.

Springtime

A couple of shots taken with the Tilt and Shift lens in Hayley Wood of Wood Anemones and Oxlips. I purchased the lens three years ago with the thought of improving my taking of Alpine flowers with the mountains in the background. I haven't been back to the mountains since then but have found the lens great for woodland flowers.

Below are a Wren (right) and Whitethroat in full display and song.

Lakenheath birds

A few pictures from today's trip to Lakenheath Fen on the way back from collecting work from the Gallery in Watton. The birds were a bit distant and there was a considerable heat haze. There were up to 6 Marsh Harriers and 10 Hobbies in the air at once some of the time. A wonderful sight. I am not sure what the Hobbies were feeding on as I only saw one damselfly (a red one) but the air was thick with Alderflies. There was also a Cuckoo in full song - the first I have heard this year.

Skylarks are Safe for Another Year

I have been worried recently that, when walking the dogs through the fields, there have been no skylarks singing, but this morning there was one in full song above us. A beautiful sound for a lovely morning with the blackthorn and ash now in full flower.

Cambridge Views in Infrared

Various shots taken in Cambridge yesterday with the Digital Infrared Camera showing different effects that can be obtained. The first is closest to film infrared though it needs a bit of softening on the highlights. I like the way the detail has been retained in the tree trunk of the cherry tree that is in full bloom by King's Chapel.

The two views of the Bridge of Sighs demonstrate the colour differences that can be achieved by varying the profile used to convert the images in Lightroom.

More Markers for Yearly Comparison

Some more of the wild flowers out in the garden this week.
Groundsel, dog violet,dandelion, ivy-leaved toadflax, forget-me-not,snake's head fritillaria, red dead nettle, alkanet and celandine

Dunnocks in Full Song

We took Phil's new lens for a trip to Wicken Fen this afternoon. This Dunnock was singing repeatedly from a ground level perch - in contrast to the one taken on the Exe Estuary that inconveniently sang from a skyline twig. As the lighting conditions were very different it is quite difficult to compare Phil's 400 mm prime (first two images) with my 100-400mm zoom. More tests to follow - or perhaps not as it is not always wise to compare lenses - just enjoy the moment.