You cannot be in two places at once ...

.... in my case I can only be in the wrong place all of the time! Whilst other photographers I know chose the South Coast to get pics like this (these are two of mine from previous years)

I had chosen that day to go to #RSPB Ham Wall where I was having to make do with pictures of Frogs!

I do not have anything against Frogs per se, but Barn Owls do a lot more for me. I cannot explain why Ham Wall seemed so quiet on that day. On previous visits recently there was a lot more Marsh Harrier, Great Egret and Bittern activity. When I visited this time I found it to have descended more deeply into the Summer doldrums - what a fine word that is!

Not that a visit to Ham Wall or the other Somerset reserves is ever wasted. Nearly every photographer I know has one of these pics of a Cormorant. Well, now I've got a few too.

And very handsome this particular bird was as it dried off in the bright sunshine. It struck all sorts of poses.

But still I cannot disguise the fact that I would rather have been taking pictures of Barn Owls. So, the very next morning I went back to the South Coast and, guess what. After spending about three and a half hours there, no Barn Owl appeared! Everybody said how yesterday it had been zooming all over the sky, skimming their heads, passing left and right etc. Even worse, it is odds on that there was intense aerial activity at Ham Wall whilst I endured my fruitless wait for the Barn Owl on the South Coast, but I do not really want to know about that! Wrong-place syndrome again.

Seriously, it is one of the most difficult things to decide - where to go. You cannot win. To beat the curse of wrong-place syndrome I have thought of pretending to make definite preparations to go to one place whilst surreptitiously planning to switch destinations at the last minute. I do not know if this trying to trick fate into suppressing all bird activity at the wrong location would work.

The same problem presents itself even when you just have to decide which hide to go to within just one reserve. So many times I have decided to move only to turn round and watch a spectacular fly past of some choice bird over the location I have just vacated.

I really do feel picked out for specially bad luck over all of this. People are starting to avoid being in the same place as me.

Anyway, accepting that there were no Barn Owls, I did the best I could. This Kestrel presented the opportunity of an against-the-light shot. It makes a dramatic change from the usual view. The light shines right through its tail feathers.

Perhaps the biggest stroke of luck though was spotting these young Swallows perched on a branch and waiting to be fed.

They did not have to wait long as their parents made frequent visits.

 This one gives a whole new meaning to the name Swallow!

 So, even if things do not go exactly as you had hoped there is always something to watch out for. That is the joy of it all and, one day, you never know, I may get lucky!

I'll leave you with this dramatic photo of an imperious Buzzard. Please visit my website at www.johncrabb.co.uk and "like" my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/johncrabbwildlifeimages

Lunch anyone?

When I see what birds eat, and seemingly enjoy, I am grateful not to have to be one of them. Here for example is a Cormorant wrestling with its lunch.

It has also picked up a fair portion of aquatic slime which it shakes off after swallowing the Perch. Even so, I do not envy it its lunch!

Even less these young Coot. Their mother is collecting Water Snails for them, which they swallow whole.

And to follow up, a big bunch of watery salad.

Much as I would not fancy any of it, it seems to be doing them some good. Just look at the vigorous hair growth!

So that made a good start to my day at RSPB Ham Wall and there was still the whole day ahead of me. I have been having some good luck with Marsh Harriers approaching closer than normal recently and I am always grateful for that. Still seeking that killer shot though.

And Ham Wall would not be Ham Wall without at least half a dozen Bittern flights these days. Sure enough, this one tried to sneak past whilst I was poking about in my sandwich box, but the Canon 7D MkII with my new Canon EF 400mm f4 DO II lens just managed to lock on to it before it disappeared behind some trees.

I am beginning to love this camera/lens combination. It seems to be very, very capable and ideally suited to photographing birds in flight. In addition, it is light enough to carry around all day without any strain.

My strategy as a bird photographer is to maintain my mobility and to always have my camera instantly available to grab any passing opportunities. I have made a conscious decision never to buy a lens any heavier than the one I currently have, the 400mm f4 DO II. For ages I lusted after the 500mm f4 (never the 600mm f4 because it is just comically huge!) but I resisted the temptation. It would be impossible for me to lug that heavy lens about for any length of time. Some people carry big lenses in back-packs, which means they can only use them once they arrive at their chosen destination. Others carry them attached to tripods or monopods and sling them over their shoulders - personally I would not trust the attachment hardware not to drop the lens into the drink or on to the pathway. Each to his/her own of course, but I continue to be happy with the choices I have made.

From Ham Wall this blog report moves to the South Coast. It is probably better not to say exactly where at present because this Barn Owl is raising young and there are some really bad people about. I learned my lesson two years ago when I found that a chick had been stolen from a Peregrine's nest that I had been given permission to photograph from a distance.

 

Isn't this shot just the essence of an English Summer, a Barn Owl hunting amongs the giant hay bales.

Everyone knows that I cannot resist a good duck, so here is a Shelduck passing overhead.

I was interested to see this very pale Buzzard make a fleeting appearance. The French term for a Buzzard is Buse Variable and I can see why. They come in a wide range of shades from almost all dark to almost complete white. The paler ones are often mistaken for Ospreys.

Oystercatchers are a challenge to photograph in flight. This is the best that I could do on this occasion, but I will be trying again.

Then, by way of a change, I spotted this Grass Snake swimming rapidly across a patch of open water. It probably knows that it could end up being something's lunch...

... his perhaps.

So there we have it for this time. If you like this Blog, please share a link with your friends. The more readers I have, the more keen I am to write for you all.

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The excitement continues!

The other day I posed myself the question "With tens of thousands of photos in my library at the moment, when will I have taken enough?" Well, not while there are still shots like this to be had.
 

After about five years of trying to master wildlife photography, I still get excited at the prospect of gathering new and exciting photos. Maybe one day my passion will wane, but not at the moment.

The day started quietly and I only had about two hours to spare before I had to be somewhere else. I whiled away the time taking photos of anything that came into view. That is the beauty of being outside, there is always something happening.

 

I even tried to photograph the Woodpigeons that made repeated passes in front of me. It was very difficult as they were just too close, but I got this one.

As nothing much seemed to be happening - I was waiting for the Barn Owl of course - I went for a stroll to see what else was about. Caught this Grey Heron standing on a post, first just its head peeping over the reeds ...

 ... then the rest of it came into view.

Now, at this point, let me ask what you think about my new lens, the Canon EF 400mm f4 DO II? Pretty sharp most of the time I would say, but I am still getting used to it.

Despite its high spec and absolutely atronomical price however, I am still finding situations where it does not deliver. Take this Kestrel for instance.

It approached closer and closer and I thought that I was getting some good shots - I was hand holding the camera at this point. But when I looked at them on the computer screen I could see that either the autofocus or image stabilisation had failed to nail it. Many of the photos were just that little bit soft. Not what I had expected from my new set up. Maybe it was me, I will have to experiment further.

When I show my photos to audiences at my illustrated talks (had a great one at Yeovil Allotments Association last night by the way) people often say "You must have a good camera", as if that explains why I have some nice photos. Well, you couldn't do it without a camera that's for sure, but it is still a struggle sometimes no matter what equipment you have treated yourself to. In the end, it is not just the camera that gets the good shots!

You can just make out in the photo above that the Kestrel is carrying a Shrew. It flew around with it for a while as if not quite knowing what to do with it.

Anyway, all this was just by the way because it was the Barn Owl that I had come to see. Eventually, just as I had run out of time, it made an appearance. Typical bad luck for me, but I stayed on as long as I could.

It was definitely worth risking a late arrival in Bristol.

So, another brilliant outing. Can't wait for the next one.

If you live near me in Somerset you may like to book me for one of my illustrated talks - it's a lot of fun! Find the details on my website www.johncrabb.co.uk
 

You learn something new every time

Little Egrets have become very common now and, as always, common birds are very easy for the photographer to ignore. Not this one however. I first noticed it posing on a floating platform at the RSPB Ham Wall reserve. First like this.

 Then like this.

But the main thing was that it had a novel way of fishing. It would fly low over the water, trailing its feet to make a splash. This would scare the small fish which then jumped out of the water ahead of it. It made repeated stabs downwards to catch them. You can sort of see the technique in these two shots.

The small splashes ahead of the Egret are the little fish breaking surface. Clever or what?

Other Ham Wall activity included frequent flights by a Grey Heron returning to its nest. They have a particular way of flying when doing this.

Of course, Ham Wall is now famous for its Great Egrets and they were much in evidence. Again they make something of a display each time they land in the reeds making for some unusual poses.

Incidentally, for you photographers, I was trying out my new Canon EF 400mm f4 DO II lens on these shots. I had the 2x converter attached and was just amazed at the high quality of the images. Before, using the original version of this same lens, the 2x converter was practically unusable because of the huge negative impact it had on image quality - not any more! Here is a Great Egret making a fly past with its friend.

I had a really great afternoon that day. I was keen to get some test images with my new lens and these Marsh Harriers obliged by flying closer than they ever have before. I was very pleased with the sharpness and detail in the photos. You can see them a little more closely on my website at www.johncrabb.co.uk where I have just posted a few of the latest photos.

On another occasion I spent some time on the South Coast. This Barn Owl made a few unpredictable appearances and I was very excited to see it! I did not yet have my new lens when these shots were taken, and I had traded in my old one so I was reduced to using my standby lens. The photos are not great and I am hoping to get one more go at it with the Canon EF 400mm f4 DO II to see what a difference it will make. I guess it is rather unlikely that the owl will cooperate in this venture! In fact I was on site first thing on Sunday morning and it did not appear so maybe the show is over.

Finally, as regular readers will know, I am a sucker for a good duck! So here is a Shelduck making a low pass for the camera.

And this one is a female Gadwall.

I am really excited about my new lens and look forward to many hours getting better and better photos.

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Until next time.