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.

www.johncrabb.co.uk

www.facebook.com/johncrabbwildlifeimages

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.

Please visit and, if possible, "like" my page on Facebook 
www.facebook.com/johncrabbwildlifeimages

Until next time.