What a Dismal Week end - 23 January 2011

Well not the best of weekends to out taking pictures, I did go out on Saturday afternoon but I think the birds had decided to stay at home. Although in the early evening as I walked back to the car I was treated to a chior of birds singin out as loud as they could. The tree tops were fair ringing with them. Couldn't see a one though and anyway it was too dark to have captured them on camera.

So I've pulled some summer pics from my archives, to brighten these dark winter days.



Peacock




Peacock



Common Blue



Large White

The sun was out then and the temperature was up and my Border Collie loves a good swim, mind you he doesn't care if its freezing, he still likes to swim.

He's a great dog for a wildlife photographer, when I take my camera out, he just settles down and waits. He never chases the birds or any other wildlife while I'm taking pictures. The only times he moves are; if a swan gets too close or if he spots Paul (alulawildlife - see link) or if Paul tries to take his stick. Then he prances around like a puppy, so does skipper.

Skipper will chase the odd Grey squirrel up a tree if I haven't got my camera out - I dont know how he differentiates, I've never taught him, he just seems to know.

Next weeks weather looks as if it could be better, though colder, so let's hope I can get some decent pics then.




Wildlife watching - 21 January 2011

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/50 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

What does a squirrel do when he/she senses your presence, it doesn't matter how fat it looks, if it's a wild one it'll do what this one did -

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/40 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

- RUN!

OK so a fiftieth of a second is living in hope, it should have been around a four hundredth fo sharpness but I do like the image at a fortieth and wouldn't have got it if I'd been shooting at faster speeds. 

Sunny Days are here again - 18 January 2011

The sun was out and the wind was blowing, so we decided on a change and visited Thornton Reservoir. All the usual birds were there so nothing to get excited about. But this Black Headed Gull, in its winter plumage (so no black head), gave an interesting display of fishing technique.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/1600 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm
(for all three)

These pictures were taken on rapid fire on the 7d which is 8 frames per second, or one eighth of a second between shots. So the whole dive took just three eighths of a second.

After the rain - 17 January 2011

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/250 @ 5.6, iso 800, 400mm

A break in the dull wet days and everyone was out looking at the birds. There was  positive army of spotter-scopes and binoculars and more than a few cameras. Trouble is there wasn't much in the way of unusual bird life.

The Canada Geese are back, I haven't seen so many for a while and their honking as they call their mates to fly really fills the air.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/2000 @ f5, iso 800, 235mm

Of course the Mute swans have been here all through the snow, ice and rain. The sedate movement of this one was steady enough for it's reflection to be mostly undisturbed.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/8000 @ f11, 800, 1000mm

As the sun sank slowly behind the trees, it didn't seem to want to go and the birds swimming across its golden glow made interesting silhouettes.

A Grand Week-end - 8 & 9 January 2011

The sun was out, the light was good and there were more cameras per square inch od the Watermead park than I've ever seen. This was mostly due to the announcement in the local press that a Bittern had been sighted.

I didn't go looking for it, the queues were apparently similar to the start of the January sales and one report I heard was that the clicking of so many shutters frightened the poor bird into the reeds.

So we stayed away - maybe later in the week - hmm.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/1000 @ 5.6, iso 800, 400mm

Gadwall are much in evidence at the moment and this one provided much amusement, just before I got my camera onto it, when it tried to stand on one leg and fell over. I guess the ice is just as slippy for them as it is for us.

Saturday evening and were beginning to lose the light. But as the sun disappeared in the west, it lit the lake up with a soft redish light. It is one of those strange anomalies of photography that photographers spend thousands of pounds on equipment that gives tack sharp pictures, then look for this kind of light to give a soft feel to their efforts.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/1000 @ 5.6, iso 800, 400mm

This Mute Swan set it's sails and with a slight angle to the direction of sunlight was nicely lit up by it's softness.



Sunday and again there was good light, but for some reason - less birds,, maybe it's because more water is opening up as the ice slowly melts.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/100 @ 5.6, iso 400, 400mm

I liked this coot with the droplet of water just falling from it's beak. and similarly the Gadwall below.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/100 @ 5.6, iso 400, 400mm

As I write this on monday morning the sun is coming and going and I don't  know if there will be any light for pictures later - we can only try.

Another grey and wet day - 7 January 2010

I didn't take the camera out today, the weather was so bad.

So I've pulled some pics out of the archives.

This tree caught my eye as I was returning to the car, after walking Skipper, one evening.

Canon EOS 400d, EF-S 18-55mm Lens
1/400 @ 6.3, iso 400, 55mm


An autumn scene, the colours are just beginning to change. This boathouse is a place I like to use to test lenses. It is across the Cropston Reservoir from the footpath and behind it is the Bradgate Park (ancestral home of Lady Jane Grey). I sometimes think Cropston is one of the prettiest reservoirs in England.

Canon EOS 50d, EF 28 - 105mm Lens
1/125 @ f14, iso 250, 105mm



This Northern Damsell fly with its electric blue colour wouldn't harm anyone and makes a beautiful line of colour in the green grass.

Canon EOS 400d, EF 70 - 300mm Lens
1/100 @ f11, iso 200, 300mm

If you are squeamish about Creepy-Crawlies, look away now .

Canon EOS 400, EF 28 - 105mm Lens
1/640 @ 4.5, iso 100, 105mm

This lady, set her web up between our dustbins, but she didn't like having her picture taken and scuttled away as soon as I'd got this shot.

A bit more light - 6 January 2011

A slight improvement in the light today had me out at Watermead Park looking for birds and there were plenty to be seen, although the most interesting ones stayed out of reach in the middle of the lake. The ice is receding and over half the lake is water again. I could see the Goosander, Shovellors a couple of Pochard and Gadwall, plus Grebe, Cormorant and the usual residents - Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot and Moorhen.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/200 @ 5.6, iso 800, 400mm

The colours on the water caught my imagination, then this Cormorant swam out. It was too good to miss.

A bit further round the lake this female Mallard settled down in front of me and as there wasn't much else happening I decided to take the picture she was posing for.



Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/160 @ 5.6, iso 800, 400mm 

Interesting how the colours changed as I walked round the lake. Further out in the Lake the contrast was so bad, most of the pics I took, from there, weren't worth keeping. At least it was better than yesterday and the day before. that grey horrible drizzle made it a waste of time taking the camera out - so I didn't.

Watermead Park again - 2 January 2011

I went to Watermead Park again today, I hadn't the time to go further afield, but my trip was rewarded with some interest.



Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/800 @ 7.1, iso 800, 400mm

 Although not techinically brilliant, this struck me as amusing, the cormorant seems to be showing his physique to the gulls, to scare them off. In fact he was drying his wings for some time before and after their arrival.

After checking the hides and finding nothing, I looked in at the teasel patch and the light looked good so I took some more of what must be the most photographed teasels in Leistershire.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/160 @ 5.6, iso 800, 400mm

From the Teasels, it's only a short walk back to the carpark, but with the car in sight, I could hear the beautiful and complicated sound of a Robin singing and after a short search I found him near the top of a small tree.



Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/320 @ 5.6, iso 800, 400mm



New Years Day - not a lot happening

All was very quiet today at Watermead Park (maybe the birds were sleeping off the revelry of the previous night as well). Several people wandering about, mostly families. I only saw one other photographer and we stopped for a chat, He'd been told there's a Merganser about but neither of us have seen it.

When I got to the most active lake the grey skies and murky light weren't good for photography, but I took a couple anyway.



Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/320 @ 7.1, iso 800, 400mm


This wigeon pops up from time to time and was the only different fayre from the usual coots, moorhens, swans etc.

On my way back to the car, I wandered round by the river Soar. Up near the Thurmaston Locks there were several of the usual birds. But no sign of the male Goosanders I photographed a few days before. I stopped for another chat with a local. He was bemoaning the Goosanders for taking "his" fish, he seemed relieved when he said he hadn't seem them for a few days and hoped they'd gone. As he was saying this his back was to the river and I spotted this female Goosander swimming out from the sluice gates. But I didn't enlighten him - might have ruined his day :o)

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/100 @ 7.1, iso 800, 400mm

Happy New Year