Great Crested Grebe

Anyone for suchi?

1/2000 @ f6.3, ISO 400, 400mm

What's for Tea

A good day's fishing

1/1328 @ f6.3, ISO 1600, 400mm

I'll have the fish

Has he bit off more than he can chew?

1/1600 @ f6.3, ISO 400, 400mm

Have a little fishy - Thornton 13 May 2015

This is an interesting sequence that played out in front of me as stopped for a rest by a bench. I was hoping for some Dabchicks, but this Great Crested Grebe was worth seeing. I think the other Grebe was hoping for a share but was disappointed.

1/1328 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/800 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/800 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/1000 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/2000 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/2000 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/2656 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/2000 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/2000 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/1600 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/1600 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/1600 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/1600 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/1600 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/2656 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/2000 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/2000 @ 6.3, iso 400, 400mm

All taken on Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L series lens

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Bradgate Park 7 may 2015

It has been a long time coming but this week's visit to Bradgate Park found a Little Egret in the ponds and it was making a success of fishing. Maybe it'll stay around for the season and bring in a mate.

1/320 @ f6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/320 @ f6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/640 @ f6.3, iso 400, 400mm

1/640 @ f6.3, iso 400, 400mm

There aren't many fallows with antlers about at the moment and a lot of those that are have their heads down chewing.

1/400 @ f6.3, iso 400, 150mm

This one decided on a bit of hill climbing, it was steeper than it looks.

1/640 @ f6.3, iso 400, 400mm

The way this one looked at the camera, I thought it was asking "What you looking at"

16400 @ f6.3, iso 400, 400mm

All taken on Cannon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L series lens

Watermead Park - 1 Sept 2012

As usual there wasn't much birdlife in evidence at the park, but I got to the "hole in the wall" hide just as this cormorant surfaced. I'm not sure what it has caught, but it seems to have quite a struggle swallowing it,

They were all taken on the same settings, using the Canon 7d with my ef 100 - 400mm lens at it's maximum length. The settings were: 1/1600 @ 6.3, iso 1600.
Sorry the quality isn't as good as I'd like, The light wasn't the best and I didn't have time for the niceties. I would have liked to drop the iso to 800 but didn't want to miss the action.

Another Fishy Tale - 6 April 2011

I'd walked most of the way round the lakes at Watermead and was on my way back to the car-park with not a single worthwhile photograph. Skipper was just ahead of me with his stick, he always selects a stick to carry or for me to throw for him - preferably into the water. He turned to face me and dropped his stick for me to pick up, but as I approached it I caught sight of a Heron on the edge of the lake, to my left.

It was concentrating on something and didn't even notice Skipper. Calling him quietly, I stepped back behind a bush and out of sight and prepared my camera. I took a couple of pictures before the Heron struck at his quarry in the water, unfortunately the photos of the actual strike only showed his back, hidden in the reeds.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/1300 @ f6.3, iso 1600, 400mm

But when he came up again, he'd caught quite a sizable fish, which he proceeded to eat. I got some pictures but when he repositioned the fish to swallow it I had to move to a better position, he caught sight of me and flew away. Still it was an interesting interlude.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/1600 @ f6.3, iso 1600, 400mm

I continued on my way back to the car-park, where I again put some nuts and seeds on a fence post and waited to see what would appear.

As usual it was the Robin first and he seemed as if he'd decided to pose for the camera.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/200 @ f6.3, iso 1600, 400mm

He was followed by another Robin who, after a shouting match, flew back into the bushes. Then a Great Tit and a Blue Tit both were seen off by this bully before I could get their pictures.

Then a pair of Chaffinches came along, the female managed to get something to eat before he saw her off.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/250 @ f6.3, iso 1600, 400mm

But the male was quite persistent, every time he landed the Robin chased him away. But he soon came back for another go. Eventually he seemed to develop a strategy, he'd fly in and land on the lowest fence spar, the Robin went into the attack and the chaffinch, instead of flying away, flew up to the post and grabbed a few seeds. Then as the Robin flew up to attack, the Chaffinch flew down the other side of the fence to the bottom spar again, then repeated the process, every time the Robin flew down the Chaffinch would fly up the other side and grab a beak-full.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/200 @ f6.3, iso 1600, 400mm

It was fun to watch, but I think the Robin got tired because later he flew into the bushes and didn't even object when the female Chaffinch returned.

A Good weekend - 3 April 2011

It looked as if the weekend was going to be fairly slow, around Watermead a lot of the birds from the winter have gone and we are back to the usual collection - with most of them not putting on a show. On Sunday I was cycle-walking Skipper, he likes that it gives him a good run and being a Border Collie it's something  he needs - lots of exercise.

As we reached the Thurmaston end of the main track, I heard a young mother say to her child, "look he's got a fish!" So I stopped and looked again at the lake, there right in front of us was a Grebe with a fish in its beak.
Before I could get the camera out it dived and shortly after a fish skipped across the surface, but then the Grebe resurfaced with an even bigger fish in its beak. This all happened in a few seconds and I was still astride my bike, but I took what pictures I could and though they're not the best quality I thought I'd show you these two.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/5000 @ f 5.6,  iso 1600, 400mm



Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/8000 @ f 5.6,  iso 1600, 400mm

They were the only pictures I got on the way round the lakes. But when I returned to the Meadow lane car-park I had some time to spare and a few bird nuts and meal worm in a container in the back of the car so I put some on a fence post at the end of the parking area and sat in the car with the camera at the ready.

At first nothing happened, but after about ten minutes a Robin appeared, it's usually Robins that get in first especially when there are meal worm about. He hopped about for quite a while, posing and sometimes seemed to be looking right at me.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/100 @ f 6.3,  iso 1600, 350mm

There was a brief exchange with the male blackbird, who came to investigate the food and took away a beak full.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/125 @ f 6.3,  iso 1600, 380mm

But then it started to rain and the birds disappeared, so I started to pack my camera away and turned to put it in its bag when I caught a movement in the bushes halfway down the car-park. A grey Squirrel popped out and ran down the fence, he looked around then ran towards me - so out came the camera again and I took some photos as he came closer.


Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/160 @ f 6.3,  iso 1600, 200mm

He ran up the fence, to where the birds had been, and feasted on the remaining peanuts. He stayed for quite a long time, despite the rain and hail. After about fifteen minutes he'd obviously had his fill. he climbed down and disappeared into the undergrowth.